We're Just Friends
by PWrites
Summary: It's been months since they broke up, but everyone still expects them to get back together. Nevermind the fact that Beck's been on countless dates since then, or that Jade's been getting really close to this other guy, Jon. If you ask them, there's nothing going on between them. After all, who said exes can't be friends?
1. Chapter 1

**We're Just Friends**

_Chapter 1_

It's been almost two months since "the Break Up" and it would be a lie if they said they weren't expecting things to get out of hand any moment. But if there was one thing everyone knew about Beck and Jade, it was that they were full of surprises.

Somehow, by some miracle, the two managed to stay civil – almost like friends. Again, no one thought this whole act would last. After all, Jade was the human manifestation of jealousy; no way was she going to sit by and be fine if some other girl flirted with Beck. Of course, no one was stupid enough to try, but at the same time, that was what everyone was waiting for. If she could still keep up the whole we're-just-friends act even then, then maybe they really were over.

One of those people. Were their own friends. Tori absolutely refused to believe that they were finally over just like that. Sure, she didn't like Jade when they first met – she dumped coffee on her for crying out loud! – but Beck and Jade were different from Beck and Jade. Andre and Cat, being best friends of the couple even before they were together, saw the two through every up and down of their relationship; from Jade warming up to the idea of having someone invading her personal space to Beck knowing her well enough to counter every move she made. Robbie didn't trust the peacefulness of everything. Hollywood Arts isn't Hollywood Arts without some disaster happening every now and again— it's been peaceful for way too long.

That's when it happened.

Cat came in with Jade, the latter holding her daily cup of coffee when they saw a blonde talking to Beck by his locker. This wasn't just any blonde though, it was Alyssa Vaunt, one of the girls Jade had suspected liked her now-ex even when they were still together.

Cat is not exaggerating when she says the entire temperature of the hallway dropped; everyone waited with bated breath to see how Jade West would react— even Beck cast his ex a quick look, mostly out of habit.

Then…

She shrugged, took a sip of her coffee, and proceeded to go to her locker. After that, she closed it, gestured for her red-headed best friend to catch up then walked to class.

Once she was out of sight, the entire hallway burst into charted whispers.

"Did you see that?"

"So they're really over?"

"That's unfair! How come she didn't get coffee poured on her?"

"Maybe because they're really over?"

"You think Beck's looking to date again?"

Even Beck himself looked followed his ex-girlfriend's path, and dare he say, a little disappointed.

But he had to admit, his life's been peaceful. Ever since he knew Jade, he immediately went from stranger to annoying guy to boyfriend to ex. He never really got to be her friend, but he knew even right now, he was no normal friend. He knew she didn't just tolerate him, like how she is with Tori, but he wasn't really on the same level as Cat. If he's lucky, he's probably on the same level with Andre, but at least Andre knew how to act around her with his status. How was he supposed to act around Jade now?

To be honest, he never expected their break up to last this long, but he didn't want to get back together either, the problem was he still missed her. Ever since they broke up, he could feel the wall she put up between them but he really couldn't blame her.

Aside from Cat, he was the only one she ever sort of willingly accepted, and dare he say he even got closer to her than Cat did, but of course, that was only because he was her boyfriend. He had to admit, his life, although peaceful in the conflicts area, was starting to get boring. The thing about being with Jade was her wit. She always had some sort of snappy comment to make about everything, solicited or not, and even though he kept giving her disapproving looks over it, they were amusing. For the past month and a half, whenever someone said something stupid, he kept waiting for her side comment, which rarely came anymore, mostly because they rarely spent any time together now.

Even back then, he wasn't sure if Jade thought of their friends as her actual friends, since she mostly just interacts with people because he forced her. Now, she only hung out with them during lunch then spent the rest of her day with either Cat or alone.

"So, anyway, what do you say?" Alyssa's question snapped him out of his train of thought.

"Uhh, I'm sorry, what?" He asked, forcing himself to return his gaze to the blonde who was one of the causes of their frequent fights. She giggled.

"A little out of it today, aren't we?" she smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. He looked at her hand. "I said, my parents aren't around, and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out? You know, at my place?"

Okay, now he knew why Jade didn't like her.

"Sorry, but I have a thing with Jade," he told her, taking her hand off his shoulder. She seemed to be surprised by his answer.

"Aren't you two broken up?"

"Yeah, I mean as friends. We're still friends, after all," he didn't know why out of all people he could have used he had to say, Jade. Maybe it's because they've been together for too long that it's become second nature to say her name whenever he had to get out of something.

Alyssa gave him a look that said she clearly didn't believe him but went with it anyway.

"Okay, so I guess you'll be posting on TheSlap later? You know, to show how you're both still friends having a friendly night out? Alone?"

"I don't see why I have to do that. You know Jade, she'd kill me," he said, starting to walk away.

"Okay but if you don't prove that you've been with Jade, you owe me a date!" she called, earning an eye-roll from the Canadian.

* * *

Beck spotted her at lunch, brutally stabbing her salad, probably waiting for Cat since none of the others have arrived yet. Perfect.

"Hey." He sat down in front of her, making the goth look up from her meal.

"What do you need, Oliver?" she asked matter-of-factly. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't even the tiniest bit hurt.

"Can't a guy—"

"No, not a guy like you. I know you, what's up?" she asked a little softer this time, even going as far as to throw in a concerned look that only lasted seconds. Classic Jade. God forbid someone finds out she can actually feel other emotions aside from hatred and fury.

"I need you to go out with me tonight." He knew Jade well enough to know that the best way to ask a favor from her wasn't to ask if she could do it, but emphasize that she has to do it. All he got was a raised eyebrow.

"And I need to do that because…?"

"Alyssa Vaunt asked me out and I said I couldn't because you and I already have plans." Another raised eyebrow.

"Surprised you used me and not Vega," she smirked, and he really had to try not to roll his eyes. Even now she still thinks something's going on between him and Tori.

"Jade, I'm telling you, she invited to her place to 'chill' while her parents aren't around. I don't wanna get raped."

She stared at him for a few seconds before sighing.

"Fine, but you owe me." A smile made its way to his face just as the rest of their friends arrived.

"You two finally got back together?" Andre asked the moment he saw his best friend grinning like a lunatic while looking at Jade who looked uninterested.

"He wishes," Jade snorted before turning to her best friend. "Hey, can you tell Jon I won't need a ride after all?"

Beck's ears perked at the mention of a Jon. Who is this Jon? Why hasn't he heard of him before? The question left him before he could even think about it.

"Who's Jon?"

Andre wished Tori were here. He swears the girl has a knack for making the conversation about her, and this would be a perfect time for some derail action. Jade looked unaffected.

"Partner for our History assignment. The guy offered me a ride since he owes me one for scaring his deranged girlfriend away," she shrugged before going back to her salad.

* * *

Even while getting ready, Beck couldn't get the idea of Jade hanging out with another guy out of his mind. He wasn't jealous because 1. He's Beck Oliver. He doesn't do jealous and; 're not even dating anymore so it shouldn't be an issue. And even when they were, he was always fine with her being around other guys. He used to like the idea of her expanding her options…

But this was a guy. She was single. She's Jade. Scary as she may be, no one's ever known Jade West and not fallen in love with her— well, except for Andre. But hold on.

Maybe he's just exaggerating. Maybe he's just thinking this way because she wasn't his girlfriend anymore, but he just thought that maybe she still was? After all, they've broken up several times before and always managed to get back together. Believe it or not, he's still hoping she'd talk to him about it. Jade was more than his girlfriend; she had, in that weird little Jade thing she does. She managed to become his best friend. They spent 3 years together! You can't blame him for being attached!

The door to his RV swung open, revealing a certain raven-haired girl with purple streaks in her hair. She hadn't bothered to change out of the outfit she wore to school, and he sort of felt a little embarrassed now that it seemed like he put way more effort than her.

"You clean up well, Oliver," she smirked before making herself comfortable on his bed. He smiled a little at that— at least some things never changed.

"You don't look too bad yourself."

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, I never look bad and we both know that," she said.

Beck had to admit… he missed this. Ever since Tori came when they were still dating, she suddenly became insecure; always needed reassurance, always putting extra work into looking better than everyone else whenever she knew Tori was going to be there— he liked seeing her confident again, he just felt bad that it only happened now that they weren't together anymore.

"Even without eyebrows?" he smirked. An inside joke to when Cat had accidentally shaved off her brows.

"Even without clothes." He didn't know if he was just seeing things, but her smirk was a cross between seductive and challenging.

An image flashed in front of him: her arched back, her pale skin turning shades of red from the blood rushing to part of her body he left trances on, the way her body reacted to— okay he needed to stop.

"Especially without clothes," he countered and felt pride and an entirely different sensation course through him when he saw her surprised and embarrassed expression. Nevermind the fact that it only lasted a few seconds.

"Welp," she pushed herself off the bed, and for a second Beck's hopes and an entirely different thing got up. "Hope you took a picture, Oliver. That was a once-in-a-lifetime deal."

She put her hand on her hip.

"So are we heading out or what? This place reeks worse than Vega's cheap perfume," she left the room. Beck stayed for a while to calm himself before following her out.

* * *

If Jade's reaction to the whole flirting thing had calmed the rumors down, Beck's slap update added fuel to the fire.

The first photo was of Beck giving her a back hug, his chin resting on her shoulder while he looked at her with a look that could only say "at least do it for the camera" while Jade seemed to be in the middle of an eye-roll, this usually appeared whenever they did something for TheSlap even back when they were still dating. The second photo seemed to be a candid shot of them talking and you could see the faintest hint of a smile ion Jade's face— this, was rare. Next to no one believed his caption though.

"Who said exes can't be friends?"

* * *

Beck was having a perfectly fine day when…

"Oliver!" He turned at the all-too-familiar voice even though the hostility was still new to him.

"Good morning to you too, Jade," he greeted in the way that only he could pull off.

"Delete the fucking update," she ordered, receiving a raised eyebrow in response.

"And I'd so that because?"

"Because I said so!" she looked around before grabbing his wrist and dragging him into the janitor's closet.

"Okay look," she turned to him after locking the door. "I'm fine with you seeing me being all smiley and all that shit because you've seen that side of me before, so I don't really care at this point, but you cannot, I repeat, cannot, show that to other people!"

Okay if he's being honest, the whole, I don't-care-at-this-point stung. Was she really getting over him?

"You wanna hang out some time? Just the two of us?" he asked without even thinking. The surprise on the goth's face was apparent.

"Somewhere other than the janitor's closet or in school, or in the RV. We haven't hung out in a while and if I'm being honest, I miss you."

One moment his ex-girlfriend was staring at him, the next thing he knew, he heard the door close and he was alone.

What did he just do?

* * *

To say that Jade was panicking would be an understatement; she felt like screaming and running around the entire premises of Hollywood Arts until she just passed out from exhaustion.

She got her phone and dialed the first person she thought of whenever it came to Beck-issues.

"_Hello_?"

"Fletcher! Where the hell are you?!"

"_Cafeteria. I'm guessing you're gonna storm over here and scare away my friends again_."

"Charming how you know me. Be there in 5."

* * *

** I'm a huge Bade fan and no matter how hard I looked, there just aren't enough Bade fanfics. So here you are, an addition to the still small collection of our OTP. Enjoy, and please leave a comment telling me what you think or how I can improve mwehehehehe**

**P out **


	2. Chapter 2

**We're Just Friends**

_Chapter II_

Beck had somehow managed to drag himself out of the janitor's closet and made his way to the cafeteria where his friends were waiting for him.

"Hey man! How'd the date go?" Andre asked the moment he saw his best friend. Beck absentmindedly sat down between him and Tori.

Noticing their friend's lack of… Beckness, they gave each other a concerned glance before returning their attention to Beck.

"You look like you just got dumped, which is ironic since you were the one who did the dumping in your previous relationship," Tori joked, trying to ease the tension. Instead, she got a blank stare from Beck and an incredulous look from Andre.

"Girl, couldn't you just ask if he's okay like a normal person?" Rex asked from Robbie's hand, it was one of the rare times when no one seemed to find his remarks annoying.

"I asked Jade out," the Canadian confessed, still looking stumped.

"You what?!"

"How'd it go?"

"It's about time!"

"So you _did_ get dumped!"

Everyone in the table turned to look at Tori.

"Really? _Really?"_ Andre loved his best friend, but sometimes the girl's just utterly clueless.

"Anyway," the brunette chirped, trying to steer away from the awkwardness of the conversation. "How'd it go? When are you going out?"

It took Beck a couple of seconds before answering; he still couldn't believe he did that! But what he couldn't believe more was the fact that she just ran out on him without at least answering his question.

Just as he was about to answer…

"Hey! There she is!"

Jade had walked into the cafeteria, looking like, well, an extremely pissed off serial killer— so technically, just like herself.

The group of friends expected her to go to sit at their table when she turned and made her way to the opposite side of the cafeteria where a group of dancers usually sat.

* * *

Jade saw her "friends" before they saw her. Beck was already there and judging from their expressions, they most likely already knew. Ugh. She _really_ didn't want to go there and make things awkward; which is why she's thankful she had to meet with Jon. He usually sat on the other side of the cafeteria with the rest of friends.

Jon was part of the official Hollywood Arts dance team and minored as a songwriter. The first time she heard of him was when Andre mentioned that this guy in his class was giving him some serious competition, and she knew for a fact that anyone who gave Andre Harris competition was good. Of course, she didn't give it much thought because she didn't really care, and she was dating Beck at that time. Then they were paired for their history assignment— because even Hollywood Arts had the basic high school subjects— and the guy turned out to not be pushover which earned her respect, another thing that was hard to do.

"You. Out," she ordered the blond who was seated next to her apparent friend. The guy immediately jumped and followed her orders. Jon rolled his eyes.

"You need to work on your people skills," he commented, taking a sip of his soda. He only got an eye-roll in response. Sensing this was going to go on, he turned to his friends.

"Guys, can we have a moment?" he asked. The rest of the group was more than willing to get as far away from Jade West as possible, not because she was horrible, but because she was just downright terrifying.

Once they were alone, Jade moved away from him a bit. God forbid anyone get into her personal space.

She could consider Jon attractive, but Beck had really set the standard. His dark brown hair matched her own, and if he would just listen to her and get the damn purple streaks already, they'd probably be identical. He was pale too, almost as pale as her, and his love for dark colors irritated her at first because she really didn't like having so many similarities with someone. All things considered, the guy could pass off as her brother.

"Don't look now, Jadelyn, but your ex is staring," he smirked.

* * *

Throughout their entire relationship, Beck never felt threatened by anyone. He means. Why would he? He knew Jade would rather chew her own arm off before she'd interact with anyone else, and he knew she was genuinely in love with him. Well, that and the fact that she could easily send someone running for the hills with just a single look. But nowhere he was, watching his ex-girlfriend sit with another guy and scaring other people off so they could have some alone time.

"No fucking way!" Andre screamed, earning half the cafeteria's attention.

Upon noticing all the unwanted attention, he blushed and sank back into his chair.

"Care to explain?" Tori asked.

"That's Jonathan Fletcher," he started. "Remember the guy I told you was giving me some serious competition? That's the guy."

Now Beck's interest has been peeked. Anyone who gave his best friend competition had to be seriously good. He turned his attention back to his ex and her new friend. She had to consider him her friend if she was bearing with him.

* * *

"And that's a bad thing because?" Jon didn't see why this was a problem. Ever since he started getting close to Jade, he knew she was still in love with Beck. It was painfully obvious, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"I don't know!"

He's no idiot. Jon knows he isn't the first one to see this side of the infamous Jade West, but he knew well enough that he was one of the few people who got the privilege to even get a glimpse of it. Everyone always wondered how Beck Oliver of all people managed to stay with Jade West, but as he saw the real side of her, it isn't such a mystery anymore. Or maybe he's just saying that because they have too much in common?

"Look, Jade," he managed to get her to look at him. "Maybe you're moving on? Don't get me wrong, I know he's like a lung to you or something, but it's been two months maybe this is the beginning."

She was silent for almost a minute, just staring at the table.

"I don't want to move on."

Okay. That's it. He pushed himself off his seat, earning a couple of stares from neighboring tables and the brunette herself.

"You know what you need West? You need a date."

He got a raised eyebrow.

"I _literally_ just turned one down," she stated.

"Yeah but this guy ain't asking you. I'm telling you. Meet me in the parking lot by my car after school." He grabbed her wrist and forced her up, which was something he never would have gotten away with if she weren't so surprised. "Now, come on, I'm getting you coffee."

The little scene did not go unnoticed by a certain group. Tori looked like she had just been slapped and couldn't believe it; Andre looked more than shocked; Robbie seemed to have forgotten how to move his mouth (he was gaping) and Beck…

Beck really didn't know what to feel. Never in his entire life would he have thought that he'd live to see the day some other guy would drag Jade around and offer to get her coffee.

"I'll talk to you guys later." He left without waiting for their response.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Hollywood Arts wouldn't be Hollywood Arts if the word didn't spread like wildfire in a Californian summer, so naturally, by the end of the day, everyone knew Jade was going on a date with Jon. Ugh. Jade and Jon _obviously_ didn't have the same ring as Beck and Jade, but then again, maybe he's just really, really bitter.

Okay, maybe he's being unfair. Beck's been on a lot of dates ever since they broke up, some even went as far as the third date, but that's all they were— dates. No one even came close to Jade, and he knew he was a fucking idiot for thinking otherwise.

Beck knew he was already extremely lucky to have been able to kiss her and not get his head ripped off, and even luckier to have gotten to know the real side of her, which she kept as far away from people as possible. His phone beeped, showing a text from Andre.

"_You weren't in dance class. You good?"_

He didn't bother replying. He knew Andre knew him enough to leave him alone when he gets like this, and trust him enough to keep Tori away from him. Don't get him wrong, he loves Tori like a sister, but sometimes she just felt like she had to fix everything for everyone and somehow end up being a hero. It gets annoying sometimes.

"You're gonna have to come out of there sometime, Oliver," a painfully familiar voice said from the other side of the door.

"Don't you have class?" He asked, not opening the door.

Jade rolled her eyes despite knowing fully well he couldn't see her. To be honest, she didn't know how to feel when Andre told her Beck didn't attend his class. They've been broken up for months now but somehow she was still the person people called or turned to when Beck was acting up, which is really rare since she's the one that does the acting up in their dynamic.

"Says the guy locking himself up in the janitor's closet."

Okay, she got him there. Beck made sure he looked unfazed when he opened the door. Jade went inside and sat on the floor. He gave her a questioning look.

"Close the door and sit down, Canada Boy," she ordered. He almost laughed at the new name she had for him but followed her orders nonetheless. He slid against the door, onto the floor in front of her. For a few seconds, they were deathly silent.

"Care to explain why you didn't go to class?" Jade asked, trying her best to sound nonchalant and pissed at the same time.

"Care to explain why you immediately ran out on me but go out on dates with that Jon guy? I didn't even ask you out on a date," he said. "Dude, you've been my girlfriend for three years! There's literally nothing we haven't done, and you expect that it's going to be easy being your friend without even acknowledging our past? I just wanna hang out with you. Not as your boyfriend. As your friend. Not being around you feels like I'm missing a limb. Na annoyingly jealous limb that's been there for three years. It's going to take some time before we can get used to being around each other with other people around, and I think we need to get used to simply being around each other first."

The silence that followed had enough tension to give someone a heart attack.

Okay. She wasn't expecting that. Half of her felt relieved while the other half sort of felt disappointed, but she'd rather have a sleepover at Vega's than admit that.

"You know you could have just said that," she forced herself to roll her eyes.

"I didn't say I wanted to date you, either," Beck smirked, something that she'll never admit she missed.

They say there in silence for a few minutes before Jade's phone rang.

"What do you want?"

"_Dude where the hell are you?!"_

"Always nice to hear from you, Fletcher." Beck tried to ignore the unsettling feeling in his stomach.

"_I couldn't care less about what you do in your free time, but now isn't your free time, West! We have that report in History and if you're not here in 5 minutes, we get an F!"_

The goth rolled her eyes. No way was any teacher going to give her an F, but the guy had a point.

"Calm your panties, I'm on my way." She ended the call.

"I thought you hated the word panties," Beck said, raising an eyebrow.

"I hate when people don't open doors either, but here we are," she replied. "I gotta go, Jon's being a little bitch."

Beck watched her get up and leave without him, something he didn't get to do often.

* * *

"Calm down, I'm here no need to have a breakdown," Jade announced as she walked through the doors. She received a blank look from the teacher, who had in one way or another, gotten used to her by now, and a glare from Jonathan.

"Dude I swear to God, I'm going to strangle you one day," he growled.

"A little kinky, are we?" she mocked as she sat down next to him. The dancer only rolled his eyes.

Everyone had only ever seen Jade walk with three people: Beck, Cat, and herself. So when the bell rang and she walked out with Jonathan Fletcher and even stopped by her locker, gossip erupted like an active volcano.

* * *

The moment Beck walked out of the closet, Andre and Robbie were waiting for him outside.

"Okay, which one of you called Jade?" Beck asked. He didn't know what to feel about Jade being the one to talk to him.

When they were still dating, it was common to see him talking her down, but what people never saw was when she did the talking.

* * *

"_Beck! Open up!" she knocked on the door for the nth time. Still no answer._

_ He hated ignoring her, but he didn't want to see anyone right now. He couldn't be the Beck that they all knew and loved. He didn't know how to feel. It's been three days since he got the news, and he hasn't left the RV since. His parents had gone ahead to Canada, giving him the option of going or not, which he honestly didn't think he could, but he didn't want to miss the last chance to see her again._

_ Jade had stopped knocking, but he knew she was still on the other side of the door._

"_Beck, I'm not leaving you like this. You know you can cut the cool guy act when it's just me, right? In case you didn't know, you're allowed to breakdown. I won't judge you for it."_

_ That did it._

_ He opened the door and surprised her by pulling her into a hug, clinging to her as if she were his lifeline. At first, she was in shock but hugged him back after a few seconds._

_ By some miracle, she managed to get them inside the RV and close the door, giving them the privacy she knew he needed. After what seemed like forever, he pulled away. His eyes weren't red, neither were they puffy; the only sign that he'd been crying were the sobs that shook his whole body while he hugged her and the tear stain on his face. She reached out and wiped them away with her thumb._

_ Jade didn't ask him what was wrong; she knew he'd tell her when he's ready. She just waited patiently while they sat down on his bed waiting for him to gather himself._

_ A few minutes passed, and if it were anybody else, she probably would have screamed already, but this was Beck. There will always be special treatment for Beck._

"_My grandma died," he confessed, not looking at her._

_ Jade wasn't good with emotions, but her heart ached for him. She waited for him to continue, and grabbed his hand when he didn't. Beck glanced at their hands before looking at her._

"_When do you leave?" she asked._

_ Silence. His gaze returned to the floor._

"_I don't think I can go there and watch them bury her," he admitted._

"_But you think you can live without seeing her for the last time?" _

_ Silence._

"_I can't go there alone."_

"_I'll come with you." His head snapped towards her._

"_You hate going to Canada." She rolled her eyes._

"_People there are too nice and polite, it's honestly so annoying, but I'm not going to let you go there and do this alone. I'll even share a room with that blonde cousin of yours."_

_ Beck studied her for a few seconds; just when he thought he couldn't love her more, she does this. His hands moved on their own and before he could register what he was doing, his lips were on hers. One thing led to another and he was on top of her, both without their shirts._

* * *

Only Andre and Cat knew Jade was the only one who could get through to him when he was being irrational, so he guessed it was Andre.

"You good, man?" the musician asked, ignoring his best friend's question.

Beck stared down the hallway where Jade had gone.

"Not yet, but maybe I will be."

* * *

**How's it so far? Leave a comment**


	3. Chapter 3

**We're Just Friends**

_Chapter III_

Four months. It's been for months since they broke up, and some people were still expecting them to get back together. Nevermind the fact that Beck's been going out with a junior for two weeks now, or that Jon was apparently Jade's new BFF. They were Beck and Jade after all – they had to get back together.

"Dude I'm gonna need a ride home," Jade announced, plopping herself between Beck and Jon, who had eventually made himself an unofficial part of the group.

"Where's your car?" Jon asked, raising an eyebrow at the goth.

"Had to get it fixed, something about the engine or whatever," she answered stabbing her salad.

"Can't, I'm taking Emma out tonight," Beck said, making the rest of the table except for Jade tense up.

"I can drive you," Tori volunteered.

"I'd rather drive my car into a ditch and set it on fire," she turned to Jon. "You. I was talking about you. You're driving me home."

"Why should I? The last time I drove you home, your little brother egged my car!"

"Oh please, you act like he broke your windshield or something." Jade rolled her eyes. "Besides, it's not like you have a girlfriend or something. Might as well make yourself useful to the female population."

Now it was Jon's turn to roll his eyes and shake his head.

"I honestly have no idea why I'm friends with you."

"Oh please, we both know you love me."

"I'm really not so sure about that."

"Deny it all you want, Fletcher. You're obsessed with me."

"That kind of confidence really is dangerous, Jadelyn," he mocked, taking a bite from his sandwich.

Cat and Andre looked at each other; no one was allowed to call her Jadelyn— not even Beck when they were still together.

Andre felt his phone vibrate. It was a text from Cat.

"_How come he gets to call her that while I'm not even allowed to call her Jadey? I'm her best friend too :("_

The songwriter couldn't help but laugh at the redhead.

"_I'm sure she secretly likes it when you call her that, Kitty."_

"Okay!" Beck stood up. "I gotta go and get Emma chocolate milk. She loves that."

Jade snorted.

"Chocolate milk? What is she, 5?"

"Ha ha ha very funny. Not everyone likes the taste of your bitter soul, Jade," Beck said, rolling his eyes.

"Not everyone can handle the taste of my bitter soul, Beck," Jade clapped back without missing a beat. The Canadian simply shook his head before throwing them a wave and leaving their table.

Once her ex had left, Jade felt the stares of her "friends" land on her; she was initially going to ignore them but believe it or not, they actually got heavier the longer she did.

"Okay what is it?!" she snapped, nearly stabbing Andre who was on her other side. Only Jon had enough guts to actually answer her question.

"You okay?" he sounded genuinely concerned, which was rare because most of the time he sounded just like a less hostile version of Jade. But then again, he only ever talked to them when it was about Jade.

The brunette in question raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"With the whole Beck-is-dating-again thing, and it looks like things are taking a turn for serious."

The goth took a bite from her salad before answering.

"He can do whatever he wants with his life, and that includes dating whoever he wants. I'm not his girlfriend anymore so it shouldn't matter what I think." She took another bite. "Not like it ever mattered before."

This time, Jon actually looked at Andre, as if asking him what to do next; Andre gave him one in return that practically said _do I look like I know?!_

Tori was shifting her gaze from one friend to the other; as much as she wanted to help, she was pretty sure the moment she put her input into the situation, Jade would attack her, and she knew for a fact that only Beck or Jon could stop her at this point. Beck wasn't here, and she wasn't sure Jon liked her enough to intervene with her death by the hand of his friend.

* * *

Beck wasn't sure why he decided to go to Emma in the middle of lunch; don't get him wrong, he likes the girl, but it all feels too… out of responsibility-ish. Does he see a future with this girl? Well, she's the perfect-one-to-introduce-to-your-parents type: nice, polite, uses please and thank you, asks about your day— every guy's ideal girl. Too ideal. Being with her's easy— too easy, and if he's being honest, boring. So here he was, walking up to her by her locker.

"Hey." She turned around with a smile when she heard his voice.

"Hey yourself," she greeted. Beck handed her the drink.

"Got this for you on my way out," he said. She hesitantly took the drink and thanked him, something Beck didn't miss.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just that…" Beck patiently waited for her to continue like a good boyfriend would— not that he's her boyfriend though, but if they kept going out, maybe he would.

"I think we need to talk." There it was. Believe it or not, he actually knew where this was heading. He's not daft, he knew he'd sometimes get caught up in talking about Jade, there was even one time he accidentally called her by his ex's name. Don't get him wrong! It's not like he still loves the girl, it's just that his body's too accustomed to being with Jade— it's just muscle memory!

"Look, you're a great guy and all, you really are!" The junior started fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "It's just that, I don't want to be a rebound. I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but you're still obviously hung up on Jade for some reason. She's not the best girlfriend to have, so I don't really know why you're having such a hard time getting over her, but you are. Personally, I think it's a shame someone like you is so into someone like her since obviously nothing good can come out of—" Beck didn't know what came over him, but his hand moved before he could even think about it. He grabbed both her wrists, careful not to make her spill her drink.

To say that Emma was shocked would be an understatement, but she was curious about what the calm, cool and collected Beck Oliver would do next. She's never seen him get dumped by anyone except Jade, and he never really did anything about it, but now… was he going to kiss her? Prove that he's really over his freak of an ex and declare his genuine love for her? Was he—

"If you're going to dump me, just dump me." His voice was low, almost a growl. "But don't talk about Jade as if you know her. If I _ever_ hear you talk shit about her again, I promise to God, she'll hear about the crap you just said, and I will make sure I'm not there to stop her from committing whatever heinous, torturous crime it is she wants to do to you." He glared at her for a few seconds.

"Are we clear?"

She nodded, too scared to speak. Beck glared at her for a few seconds before letting her go and walking away.

No one even has to ask why he did that. He's been with Jade for years, and even when they're not together anymore, he still feels the need to protect her. Especially since she's still his friend. He's no idiot. The rumors are about to start by tomorrow, and he's definitely not going to deny them because why would he?

From the corner of his eye, he saw his ex-girlfriend her fraternal twin; he's been calling them that since they practically look alike anyway.

* * *

"Dude, you have plans after class?" Jon asked, jogging to catch up with a certain brunette goth.

"Well it's a full moon, so I was planning on going home to burn some sage and recharge my crystals," she answered without missing a beat.

"Okay, you really need to stop that."

"But if I don't recharge my crystals, how will I get rid of all my negative energy?"

"Jade, you _are_ the negative energy, now tell me if—"

"Yo Jade!" an all too familiar voice called, earning both teenagers' attention. The said actress watched as her ex-boyfriend jogged up to them.

"Where's your girlfriend?" the goth asked. Neither of the three knew how to feel about the fact that Jade just acknowledged that the junior had replaced her as Beck's girlfriend.

"Okay, first of all, we were never official," the Canadian began. "Second of all, she dumped me."

She'd be lying if Jade said she saw it coming. Seeing how everyone seemed to drool after him even when they were still together, she thought that the moment some other girl got her hands on him, they'd never let go. God knows she didn't want to.

"If you still get dumped, then there goes my hope of ever finding true love," Jon commented, earning a disgusted look from Jade.

"As if what he had with that bimbo could be considered true love." She rolled her eyes before turning to Beck "Anyway, you good? No emotional breakdowns? Not questioning your self-worth? Any plans locking yourself in a room and refusing to talk to people?"

Beck honestly didn't know what to feel, but a part of him found it sweet that Jade still sort of cared about him.

"Nah, I didn't like her that much anyway."

"Wow is this how you react to all breakups?"

"Two weeks is nothing on three years, babe—" too late. He already said it.

The silence that followed was almost as bad as his slip up. Jade's eyes darted to the floor before getting her phone, looking through it, acting like she just found something interesting, shoving it back in her pocket.

"Cat's been going on about this new café that apparently has good coffee. I'm gonna go and see if they're all talk." She walked away faster than he's ever seen her— and he's seen her walk away a few times. The two boys gave each other a quick look. They've never really talked where it was just the two of them before, and now that Beck thinks about it, this is probably the first time they've been alone together.

"So, are you going to go after your girlfriend or should I be the one to talk to her?" Jon asked.

"She's not my girlfriend." Was the first thing that came out of his mouth, and if he's being honest, one of the hardest things to say. The dancer merely shook his head.

"Dude, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret." The way he casually draped his arm over Beck's shoulder would have fooled anyone who didn't know the story. "Jade is one heck of a girl. You need to realize that all she has to do to get every guy in and out of school chasing after her is tone down the serial killer in her. If you have even the slightest feelings for her, I suggest you go after her now."

"..." it was rare for Beck to be out of words.

_"Or I will._"

Jon almost laughed at his reaction as he withdrew his arm and walked after Jade. Beck was left to stare at the direction the two had gone, still not registering what the fuck just happened.

* * *

"For one of the laziest people to ever exist, you walk pretty fast," Jon commented, finding the goth in the library. Yeah, Jade liked going to the library when she was mad. He wondered if Beck knew that about her. He probably does.

"If you're here just to bullshit me, I'm gonna do you the favor of giving you a chance to leave on your own before I throw you out that window." The brunette didn't even look up from the book she was trying to read. Now normally, if she said that to anyone else, they would have been running for the hills, but Jon had somehow managed to build an immunity to her threats, so he just sat on the chair opposite of her.

"You need to stop running away from your problems," he stated. This got Jade to look up from the book she was reading.

"Who said I'm running away?"

"Prove it then, go talk to Oliver right now."

Jade simply rolled her eyes and closed the book.

"I know what you're trying to do. You're not getting me to do anything." Jon watched her as she returned the manuscript to the shelf.

"And even if I do talk to him," she turned to him, "it would be because I want to and not because I'm trying to prove something to you."

His eyes followed her as she left the room.

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to Oliver."

* * *

Jon decided to leave Jade alone for once. They've been practically joined at the hip since he managed to stand his ground against her threats a couple of months ago, and the only time they're not together is when she's with Oliver. If someone would have told him he'd be best friends with _the _Jade West five months ago, he would have laughed at them and referred them to a shrink because no way in hell was anyone getting close to Jade now that Beck wasn't around to stop her from brutally murdering someone.

* * *

"_Fletcher," their history teacher called, scanning the class's master list, "you will be partnered up with…"_

_Religious was the last thing word Jon ever associated with himself, but at that moment he was silently praying to every god in every religion; Jade West hadn't been called yet, and she was sitting at the very back of the room glaring daggers at the teacher, as if daring him to pair her up with anyone. It's been almost a month since they broke up with Beck, and she wasn't getting any nicer. If anything, the longer they styed apart, the scarier she got; he'd really feel sorry for whoever g—_

"_Miss West."_

_Fuck!_

_Jon felt the weight of someone's glare the moment the pairing was announced and gulped. It didn't really take a genius to put two and two together. He was almost scared to look behind him._

_Eventually, the bell rang, and everyone got ready to leave._

"_Please discuss with your partner about the paper. This will last for the rest of the school year," their teacher announced, leaving the room._

"_Let's get a few things straight." He nearly jumped at the sudden cold voice that spoke to him. Turning around, he aw the infamous Jade West in front of him; elbows crossed, backpack slung over one shoulder, and looking ready for a funeral in her all-black tights, boots, and oversized shirt that exposed one of her shoulders and reached her midthigh. "When I say this is the deadline, this is the deadline. I'm gonna give you my email address so you can just send me your part so I don't have to talk to you. Take note, I do not like talking to you. You will only talk to me when it is absolutely necessary and do not get in my personal space. Got it?"_

_He could only nod, which she seemed to prefer._

"_See you next class." Just as she was about to leave…_

"_You didn't give me your email," he told her. The brunette raised an eyebrow at him. "You said you'd give me your email so I can send you my parts."_

"_You actually want it?" It was almost a snicker._

"_Well I don't want it, I just need it. It's a school necessity."_

_Jade gave him a once-over before turning her heel._

"_I'll find you in at lunch. We can talk then."_

* * *

_Jon didn't think she'd actually show up, so when he felt someone sit on the opposite side of him, he didn't expect them to give slam a piece of paper onto the table, startling him in the process._

"_Just so we're clear, I don't give anything to anyone," a certain brunette snarled. "If you want to give me your part you hand it to me without a single word, and we won't have a problem."_

_Jon looked at her._

"_You know it's funny how you run around demanding things when you're the one who needs people," he bluntly stated._

_To say that Jade was stunned wouldn't be wrong. There was hardly anyone stupid enough to cross her aside from Vega. Giving the guy a good stare down, she had to admit that the boy had guts not to cower like a lost puppy._

"_Do as I say, and we won't have a problem." _

"_Stop treating me like a lap dog, and maybe I will." She didn't know if she was imagining it, but was that a ghost of a smirk on his face?_

_She was about to say something when…_

"_I thought we weren't broken up?!" Jade could see the dread on his face at the annoyingly shrill voice._

"_Diana, not now I—"_

"_You really thought I was—" Jade turned around to glare at the girl and almost laughed at how pale she suddenly got. "J-Jade."_

_The said actress raised an eyebrow._

"_I don't know you, but you're annoying. I'm gonna count to five, and if you're not out of my sight by then, I'm not liable for what happens to you." She hadn't even begun counting when the girl nearly ran out the room. An appreciative whistle made her turn back to the guy._

"_You need to keep your crazy girlfriends in place," she commented._

"_She was never really my girlfriend. We went on two dates and—" her yawn cut him off._

"_Dude, I honestly couldn't care less." Jon was still at a lost for words how rudely blunt this girl was._

"_Unless you didn't know, I have a name."_

"_If I was interested, I would have asked." She stood up and gave him one last glare. "You know what, you're not a complete wuss, so I guess I should ask for your name."_

"_Jonathan. Jon for short."_

* * *

He doesn't really remember how they managed to get to where they are right now, but he's glad he got to know her. He remembers it had something to do with Beck though.

* * *

"_So what's the deal with you and Oliver?" he asked from the couch across her. He still couldn't believe he was in West territory. To be honest, he expected her to live in a cold, dark house with zero warmth, so imagine his surprise when he came up to a hundred-acre property with a four-story modern mansion with a pool and a fountain up front, and God knows what's behind. So here he was, in Jade West's room, which could have easily been at least an entire classroom in Hollywood Arts._

"_Exes trying to stay friends." She didn't even bother looking up from what she was doing. He was surprised she even answered him._

"_Trying?" This time, he got a sigh and a glare from the brunette. She was sitting on her bed in black leggings and an oversized black shirt that hung crooked on her shoulders, exposing her bra strap; Jon didn't know how to tell her about it without getting stabbed. The thought made him glance at the collection of not only scissors but frighteningly sharp-looking daggers by the wall._

"_Stay out of it, Fletcher."_

* * *

Now, he just thinks it's hilarious because what he's doing is the farthest thing from staying out of it. A frustrated sigh escaped his lips. He was by no means even close to catching feelings for Jade— the girl's practically the sister he never had, no matter how annoying she got— but something had to push Oliver off his high horse and get his ass moving. Besides, everyone's seen Jade jealous of girls whenever it came to Beck, it would definitely be a refreshing change to see him on edge for once.

What? If they were going to get back together, Jon had to make sure the whole insane jealousy going on in their relationship had to stop, and if there was one way of doing that, it was to show Beck what it was like. He's been around the guy for two months, and no matter how cool Canada boy might act, he had to have a button.

He's probably being biased right now, but from what he's heard from Jade, the guy wasn't always the best. Who in their right minds lets girls flirt with him right in front of their girlfriend? But then again, Jade's no saint either— she's actually the farthest from it— who pours coffee on someone on their first day?

Honestly, those two have some serious issues they've gotta sort out before they become fully functional. No way in hell is he gonna put all the effort into getting them back together only for them to break up after a few months. No. If he's gonna bring those two back together, he's gonna make them last.

_Sorry Oliver, but it's time for a taste of your own medicine._

* * *

**Did I mention that this is probably a NaNoWriMo entry? I'm not even sure yet. Despite being an aspiring writer for years now, and having written quite a few stories before, this is actually my first entry since I just found out about it last year (I know, I live under a rock) So anyway, I don't really know all the rules yet (sue me) but I'm gonna try and get to that 50k word count mwehehehehe.**

**Hit me up in the comments section to tell me what you know about the whole thing and to tell me what you thought of this update. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**We're Just Friends**

_Chapter IV_

Beck still wasn't sure if he heard Jon correctly. Did the guy just say he was going to go after Jade if he didn't do something? Did he like her? Well, to be fair, he couldn't blame him if he did.

Jade was by no means an easy person to be with, both as a boyfriend and as a friend— if she even considered you one. She's hardheaded, impulsive, insanely jealous, somewhat murderous, never admits she's wrong, her pride could put Satan's to shame. She's just generally not someone the average person would want to be around… but that's just because that's what she wants everyone to see. God knows he had to fight tooth and nail to get her to give him a chance. To be honest, back then, he didn't think he even had a chance.

* * *

"_Get away from my locker if you want to leave this school in one piece," she snapped, glaring at a certain fluffy-haired boy waiting for her._

"_Good morning to you too, Jade," he grinned, stepping aside so she could open her locker. The goth simply rolled her eyes._

"_I hate mornings. There's nothing good about it. Now get lost."_

"_You never replied to my text," he told her._

"_That's because I didn't want to." She slammed her locker shut before glaring at the boy. "Look, pretty boy—"_

"_You think I'm pretty?" Jade had to resist the urge to slap the grin off his face. How dare he cut her off? Instead, she just rolled her eyes._

"_I don't like you, and I don't owe you anything. Now if that ridiculously oily hair of yours hasn't grown over to where your brain should be," she glanced at this full head of hair, "you'd run off and never ruin my day ever again." She turned around and walked to her next class._

* * *

"_Hey!" Jade looked up from her salad, glaring at the boy who had taken a seat next to her._

"_Okay, your hair _has_ taken over your brain."_

"_Jadey! There you are!" a chirpy redhead called, skipping to their table._

"_Ugh! Not her too." He heard her mutter as the redhead reached their table._

"_Oh! You have a new friend!" the girl chirped, offering her hand to Beck. "I'm Cat! Jade's best friend!"_

"_He's not my friend, Cat. Sit down if you don't want me walking out of here," Jade snapped, stabbing her salad in the process. Cat said something about her brother not being able to walk as she sat on the other side of the brunette._

_To say that Beck was surprised wouldn't even begin to describe it. Here was Jade West in all her dark glory interacting with one of the perkiest people Beck's ever met, _and _was best friends with her. He noticed she didn't deny it. A little flame of hope flickered in him. If this girl could get close to Jade, maybe he had a chance after all._

_Later that day, he bumped into Andre on their way to the gym._

"_How's your application for Hollywood Arts going?" Beck asked._

"_Good, I sent out my letter yesterday, I'm not sure if I'm gonna hear back from them. Yours?"_

"_I'm sending it out later today, just gotta fix a couple of things first."_

"_I'm surprised you're not going to wherever West is going," his best friend commented, making him shake his head._

"_Don't get me wrong, dude. I really like her, and I think I'm starting to get through to her a little bit, but I'm not going to sacrifice my dream school for—"_

"_Omg! Jadey! I can't believe you got in!" Andre bumped into Beck, who had immediately stopped at the sound of a now-all-too familiar voice. _

"_Of course I got in, I'm the best," another voice answered._

"_What are you gonna major in? Oh! Oh! Oh! We can be singers together!"_

"_Tch, please. Why focus on one thing when I can do three?"_

"_But—"_

"_Kitty," she took on a softer tone Beck never thought she was capable of, "Hollywood Arts thrives off weird and individuality. Trust me, we're going to own that school._

* * *

The moment he got his acceptance letter, he knew that being with Jade West was something written in the stars. True, he may have gotten coffee dumped on him and gotten his car egged along the way, but he eventually got Jade say yes to a date.

* * *

"_I got you coffee," he greeted her when she arrived with a box to clear her locker out with._

"_Surprised you're still here," she commented, accepting the coffee for the very first time. Beck perked up when she actually took a sip instead of dumping it on him._

"_The one time I actually bring extra clothes to change into, you decide to finally take it," he grinned._

"_Don't get too excited." She shoved it back into Beck's hand as she opened her locker. "I think you should know I like my coffee black with two sugars."_

_Beck's brows shot up. This was the first time she actually told him something she liked. This was it! She's finally letting him know her._

"_Noted. You wanna hang out after school?" She paused mid-whatever-it-was-she-was-doing and stared at him for a few seconds before continuing to clear her locker._

"_I like horror movies, none of that girly romcom, feel-good shit. You also might wanna know that I like gore. I'm not gonna make you hover around trying to figure me out, because that's just a waste of time. I'm not gonna sit through an entire movie I hate. Unless you haven't noticed—"_

"_Doing things because it's the polite thing to do isn't really in your vocabulary," he finished for her, and for the first time, he saw her smile. Damn that smile. It was gone as quick as it came, but it was forever etched in his memory. Beck Oliver was going to do everything he could to see that smile more often._

_They went out on a few more after that, his car getting egged every time he drove her home._

"_I'm gonna tell you this Oliver," she looked at him before opening the door, "you're better off with some goody-two-shoes. I'm not gonna make things easy for you."_

_Beck only smiled._

"_I don't want things easy, West. If I wanted easy, I would have said yes to the first girl to ask me out."_

_The goth simply smiled while getting out of the car._

"_By the way," she slouched so she was eye-level with him, "call me Jade."_

* * *

The longer they dated, he started seeing a side of her that she tried so hard to keep under wraps. He noticed she was especially protective when it came to Cat.

* * *

"_Hey babe, you ready for school?" he asked when she got into his car. He'd been her ride since they started going exclusive._

"_We're swinging by Cat's first. She's coming with us," she said. Beck could only raise an eyebrow but not say anything._

"_I thought her dad was—"_

"_They had to take her brother to the doctor. Something about eating thumbtacks." She rolled her eyes, clearly finding the entire situation annoying, but then again, everything was annoying to Jade. "Seriously, how did he not die from that?"_

"_Yeah what's up with her brother anyway?"_

"_As if anyone knows what's up with that loser."_

_Even though Jade loved Cat, that privilege didn't exactly extend to the rest of her family. Picking up Cat involved a lot of squealing (from Cat) and yelling (from Jade) something he'd eventually gotten used to. You just couldn't be around Jade and not expect her to yell at someone for 1. Getting in her way, or 2. Pissing her off, and if anyone knew anything, it was that it was very easy to piss her off._

_It was their second month in Hollywood Arts, and Beck had to admit he was impressed with how his non-official girlfriend for establishing a reputation so quickly. Next to no one went near her whenever she was alone, in fear of setting her off. Last time someone tried, he walked away with a bald spot in the middle of his head. Safe to say, ever since then, no one wanted to mess with Jade West._

"_You know, when producers hear about your reputation in school, they're probably going to think twice about hiring you," he mentioned while they were in the Asphalt café._

"_They need talent, and that's something I've got loads of."_

"_Yeah but—"_

"_Jadey! There you are! Hi Beck!" a certain cheery redhead greeted, arriving with that geeky boy she met in one of her classes. "You guys remember Robbie."_

_Jade threw the guy a look before grabbing Beck's hand and pulling him off the table._

"_I'll be back." She gave the boy with the puppet a glare. "Whatever happens while I'm gone, I _will _hear about."_

_One moment, his non-official girlfriend was dragging him down the hall, the next he's thrown into the janitor's closet._

"_Care to explain why we're here?" he asked as he watched her lock the door. She studied him for a few seconds, contemplating if she could trust him._

"_What I'm about to tell you will not leave this room, or I swear on whatever God you believe in, I _will _hunt you down and I _will_ kill you."_

_He could only nod in response._

"_I don't want anyone messing with Cat," she sighed. "You've seen how she is. She couldn't tell exploitation even if she got robbed. She'd probably think it was just some shy guy borrowing her stuff."_

"_And being best friends with the most terrifying person in school would make people back off," he guessed. She glared at him before nodding; he almost laughed. Jade must have sensed it because she went on._

"_What do you expect? It's not like there's anything else I can do! She's my best friend and let's face it, she's not really the brightest—" he didn't hear the rest. Watching her looking all embarrassed as she tried to explain why she cared about someone was honestly just too cute._

"_Cat's lucky to have you."_

_Normally, she'd be pissed when someone cuts her off, but this Beck guy's been growing on her recently so she let it slide._

"_You bet she is."_

* * *

Yes, it was incredibly easy for someone to fall for Jade West, especially when you saw her soft side. He, of all people, should know that. So why is he so surprised now that some other guy's going after her?

He doesn't really know how long he just stood there; all he knows is that Andre had to drag him to their next class when the bell rang.

He was still in a state of shock when Jade walked into the room with Jon coming in a few minutes after. Beck watched as the pair sat on the opposite side of the room; he didn't miss how Jon said something to his ex that made her flip him off.

The rest of his day went by in blur; whenever he saw the Twins— he still calls them that because that's just how similar they are— he couldn't help but notice the little things Jon did for Jade. A part of him wondered if Jade knew about his feelings for her; another part of him wondered if she ever felt like she could like Jon more than a friend.

"You ever think something's going on between Jade and Jon?" Normally, Beck wouldn't mind his friend's sudden appearances, but did she really have to open with that?

"Gee, I have never thought of that," he didn't even try to hide the sarcasm in his voice. Tori glanced at Andre; neither of them knew if they should file it under him just being dumped or Jade's growing fondness for Jon.

"Dude, you okay?" Andre asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he turned and looked at his best friend.

What? Really, he was. This shouldn't even be a big deal. They were broken up, and like Jade said when she barged in on his Opposite Date with Tori, it's none of their business If they start seeing other people. So why did it bother him every time he saw them together or when Jade left their group to hang with Jon? Maybe it was knowing that Jon actually liked her and could make a move anytime.

"You know, you've just been off today."

"You think it has something to do with Jade, don't you?" Tori and Andre shared another look. "Look, guys, I appreciate the concern but it's been 4 months. I've dated other people. I'm over her. I've been over her for months now. If I wanted to get back together with her I would have done it already, but I haven't."

"But—"

"Dude, I know how I feel alright? I wouldn't go out and date other girls if there was still a part of me who's in love with her."

The three of them were too engaged in their conversation, they failed to notice a certain redhaired singer enter the room who managed to hear everything they said before going to sit beside her gothic best friend.

* * *

"I thought you were going to talk to Oliver," Jon teased, earning the middle finger from Jade. He only laughed.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Oliver stare at them and internally smirked. He didn't think it would be so easy to push his buttons, but then again, this was Jade. Vega must have said something to him 'cause he was talking in that very Oliver way he does when he's irritated. Wow. She's starting to rub off on him. He saw Cat come in and give the group a surprised look. Normally she'd sit with Harris but to his surprise, she walked over and sat on the other side of Jade.

* * *

Cat had a lot of things on her mind when she was walking to her next class. She was happy that Jade found another friend and harsh as it may sound, glad that it was someone who wasn't introduced to her by Beck; it also helped that he wasn't afraid of her too and didn't hesitate to tell her she was acting crazy.

Honestly, she was glad that Jon could do all the things Beck could when it came to Jade-control, but she preferred when Beck did it mainly because that was just how they were. Maybe she's being unreasonable, but she refused to believe that their breakup was permanent. They still love each other! No matter how hard they try to act otherwise, they still do! She just knew it!

She likes Jon, she really does— even thinks he's good for her best friend— but she's honestly terrified of what would happen if one of them fall for the other. Don't get her wrong, again, she thinks he's good for Jade, but Beck _is_ for Jade. He always has, and he always will. She's been with Jade since middle school, and as tough as she might act, Cat could see right through her. It's still Beck all she—

"It's been 4 months. I've dated other people. I'm over her. I've been over her for months now. If I wanted to get back together with her I would have done it already, but I haven't."

"But—"

"Dude, I know how I feel alright? I wouldn't go out and date other girls if there was still a part of me who's in love with her."

She glanced at the trio before realizing none of them noticed her. She made her way over to Jade and Jon, looking extremely out of place with her bright hair and colorful clothes. Her mind was in a whirl. Beck didn't mean that, did he? She glanced at Jade, who was scrolling through TheSlap then to Beck who was still trying to explain something to Tori and Andre. A part of her wanted to cry because she wasn't sure if it was true. She refused to—

"Earth to Cat?" Jon's waving hand brought her back to reality. Both Jade and Jon were looking at her, the former with barely contained worry.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Uh huh my brother—"

"Ugh." Jade didn't even let her finished before rolling her eyes. Good. She knew what needed to be said to get Jade off her back. Jon, however, gave her a skeptic look, as if he didn't believe her.

"Hey Cat, can I see you outside for a bit while the teacher isn't here?"

Weird. Jon's never wanted to talk to her alone before, but she still nodded.

"Should I be worried?" Jade asked as her two best friends got up from their seats.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything, and I know you'll have both my heads if I even try," Jon assured her.

"Good boy," she said in a tone normal people would use on a people. "If you keep that up I'll probably give you a tr—"

"Don't continue that sentence if you know what's good for you, West." He led Cat out the room, Jade watching them until he closed the door.

* * *

"Something's bothering you," Jon said the moment he closed the door.

"What do you mean?" Cat frowned.

"Something's bothering you but you can't tell Jade about it. What is it?"

Cat squinted at him for a few seconds; can she trust him?

"I know you rarely like sharing Jade with anyone, especially since you've known her the longest and seen her slowly let down her walls only to build them up higher than ever, but you have to believe me when I say that I love her as much as you do, and I would do anything for her. We both know that no one would worry about Jade if it weren't Oliver related."

Car stared at him for a few more seconds before sighing. She and Jade had that in common, they sighed when they gave up.

"Sometimes I just really hate Beck."

"I think we all have, but go on."

* * *

**I really hope I was able to keep the momentum going. Anyway, to clear things up, I'm not making Beck the villain here. Also, it's 12;04 am and I have classes tomorrow. Just tell me what you think in the comments**


	5. Chapter 5

**We're Just Friends**

_Chapter V_

Jon never really described himself as a violent person— he liked leaving that part to Jade— but there are really just times when he wants nothing more than to punch Oliver right in the face… and probably shave his head off because God knows the guy treats his hair like his child.

Listening to Cat go on about how Beck told their friends he was over her really pushed him the wrong way because dude! Is he fucking blind? He honestly thinks he's going to find someone better than Jade? Who would that girl be? _Vega_?

Ugh. Okay, now he was really turning into Jade, but you can't blame him! He knows for a fact that his best friend is a fucking catch and not meaning to be rude to Tori, but if Beck ever went for her after having Jade, then that just proves that he never deserved her in the first place.

"Can I ask you a question?" Cat's voice brought him out of his train of enraged thought.

"Go ahead."

"Do you like Jadey?" Somehow, she managed to ask in the cutest and most sincere way, like a kid asking her parents to tell them a bedtime story. "I wouldn't mind if you do. I think you're good for her, and I know I haven't said this before, but I really appreciate how you helped her through their breakup. I'm happy she has you now that she doesn't have Beck. You don't make her angry all the time."

The dancer gave her a genuine smile. He sees why Cat of all people managed to become Jade's first friend. There was just no staying negative with her around.

"As much as I love Jade, I really don't see her that way," he answered. "She's like an annoying sister I can't get rid of but would totally kill for."

Cat nodded in understanding, looking a little disappointed. Jon almost felt sorry to have ruined her—

"But Beck doesn't know that." The smile that made its way onto both their faces was just too good.

"Valentine, I think you just saw right through me."

* * *

When they went back into their classroom, Cat went and sat with Tori, Andre, and Beck while Jon went over and resumed his place beside Jade.

"What did you talk about and why is she sitting over there?" Jade gave him a raised eyebrow.

"You know I got curious about that brother of hers, I was thinking of meeting the guy," he lied. Jade's face morphed into something cross of disgust and confusion.

"Ew, why?"

"Don't tell me you're not even at least curious how the dude." He received an eye roll.

"I know he's retarded, that's all I gotta know."

Good. She acted exactly as expected; he decided to give her a shrug knowing she'll take it as him giving up. He took out his phone, pretending to text someone while discreetly watching Cat talk to her friends.

* * *

"You seem happy," Tori greeted her eccentric friend as she sat down with them.

"What did you and Fletcher talk about?" Beck asked. This earned him questioning looks from his friends. "What? It's not like he's close with any of us."

"I don't think you have to be close with someone to want to talk to them," Tori said, eyes darting to Andre as if asking for help.

"But the only time they do, they usually want something," the Canadian countered.

"He just wanted a list of all the things she hates because he can't keep track," Cat answered, earning confused looks from the group except for Beck.

"Why would he bother? I mean, I know he's her best friend and all but—"

"Yeah, but he likes her and even though he likes fighting with her, he doesn't want to do something that could really make him hurt her." Despite what everyone thinks, Cat Valentine is no complete idiot. She is, after all, still an actress and a mighty good one at that. She saw the frown that made its way to Beck's face.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, maybe getting close and personal with someone he knows she doesn't like," she looked him straight in the eye, "maybe never taking her side whenever she has a fight with someone, maybe never being there for her when she needs emotional support, maybe never listening to her when she has something to say because he immediately thinks she's wrong or she's mean because there's absolutely no way the mean girl who yells at everyone could ever have feelings."

She could still remember the look on Jade's face when Beck kissed Tori in front of the entire class— who cares if it was just for an improv exercise, who kisses the girl he fully knows his girlfriend doesn't like? Not to mention that he almost never takes her side whenever she goes up against Tori! He, of all people, should know how Jade feels about being the second option but he goes and does it anyway _with the girl she openly shows not to like!_

Yeah, Beck was good for Jade in the beginning, but the longer their relationship went on, she saw how he kept trying to break her down every chance he got. She glanced at Jon, who was talking to Jade about something and the latter looked mildly interested. Suddenly she didn't want them to get back together. Beck couldn't handle Jade. He couldn't tell other girls to back off, he couldn't see how her jealousy was warranted, he couldn't—

"Cat!" Tori's voice brought her out of her train of thought.

"Yeah? Oh! Are we going to play charades? I like charades! My brother and I used to play it all the time when we were kids." She even added the giggle at the end. She knew her friends were trying to stop themselves from rolling their eyes. That's why she liked hanging out with Jade better, she blatantly showed her that she was being ridiculous instead of hiding it behind fake smiles in fear of hurting her feelings.

"No, what was it you said? He likes her?" the brunette asked as if it were impossible for someone to like her best friend. Cat tried not to be offended.

"Mhm!" she chirped. "It's actually really cute because believe it or not he actually really cares for her and he gets really panicky when he thinks he did something wrong."

In that exact moment, they heard one of the rarest sounds anyone could ever hear in Hollywood Arts — Jade's laughter. Cat didn't miss how Beck's head immediately snapped to the source of the sound followed by Tori and Andre: Jon was glaring at her while she was openly laughing at him.

"I need to stop telling you stuff," he huffed. Jade let out another laugh before shaking her head.

"You love telling me stuff."

"That's a fallacy."

"I bet you don't even know what that means."

"1. I actually do, and 2. It sounds cool."

Beck decided he had better things to do than watch his ex get all lovey-dovey with some guy, who cares if that guy was sort-of his friend.

"I think they'd be good together," Tori said. Beck glared at her before Andre could throw her a warning.

"Thanks for telling me I was a shitty boyfriend, Vega."

"You know that's not what I mean Beck."

"Well—" he caught himself. Why was he taking all this so personally anyway? "Yeah. I know. I think I'm gonna go get coffee, any of you want one?"

"It's almost three," Tori pointed out. Beck just shrugged before leaving the room.

An awkward silence enveloped the group; each waiting for the other to react.

"I'm going after him," Andre announced, getting up and running out the door.

* * *

Okay. He's fine. He's totally fine. Why wouldn't he? He's dated other girls after their breakup and she was totally fine with it— they were friends. Yeah. Friends. Friends who used to kiss and make out and have sex, not to mention shared some pretty intimate secrets. But yeah, now they're just friends.

He was barely aware of the footsteps following him but wasn't that surprised when Andre tapped his shoulder.

"You need to stop hiding from your problems," his best friend said.

"I'm not hiding from—"

"Dude, you know I know you better than that."

Beck sighed just as they made it to his locker.

"I'm just not used to her showing someone else the side of her I thought was exclusively for me, okay?" He leaned against the lockers. "I mean, even if we broke up and just remained friends, I thought I wouldn't just be any friend because I saw her in a way no one ever did. I thought—"

"You thought you were still gonna get treated like a boyfriend," Andre finished for him. Beck frowned at the accusation.

"No. That's not what I—"

"Dude, it's exactly what you mean." Andre tried not to raise his voice. "Jade doesn't even acknowledge some else's existence and hates nearly everything and everyone's guts. You need to understand that how she was treating you? Yeah, that came with being her boyfriend."

Beck never noticed how interesting the floor was. Was it always that color?

Andre tried to understand his friend, he really did. Heck, he saw how crazy Beck was about Jade even before they entered Hollywood Arts…which is why he never really understood it when Beck started treating her like an option and a pet the longer they were together. He means, yeah sure Jade can be a handful but Beck…he really didn't need to yell at her while on air. Like, when you've been going after someone for years and finally get with her— no matter how long it's been since you got together— shouldn't you double your effort to keep her?

But then again, he never had to deal with Jade the way Beck did. Maybe he really shouldn't say anything.

"I guess I always thought that if she was going to have a guy best friend, it would be me, you know?" Man, he's never heard Beck sound that pathetic before.

"Look, dude," he at least he got the guy to look at him, "you need to remember she's Jade. Not only did you scream at her, telling her you weren't happy with your relationship, you also did it on air. Plus, I know you had your reasons, but you left her outside waiting for nothing. I know you didn't mean for it to be like that, but in her eyes, you humiliated her in front of your friends— in front of Tori of all people. You know how she'd take that. Hell, you should feel lucky she's still even talking to you."

Darn it.

He hates it when Andre's right. Well, no, not exactly but of all the times the dude could be right, did it have to be now?

Andre saw the understanding dawn on his friend and gently pat his shoulder.

"You know what? Why don't we go back in there get Jade and Jon to sit with us," the songwriter suggested. Beck raised an eyebrow.

"You really think that's a good idea?"

"The best way to get used to something is to deal with it. Trust me, I've been in your shoes before." An almost sad smile made its way to Andre's face, something Beck was not used to.

"What do you mean? Why didn't I know about this?"

"It wasn't that important. It wasn't like I had a chance with her," somewhere at the back of his mind, he was starting to wonder if this was such a good idea, but decided to keep at it as vaguely as he could, "she was just this amazing person and I was honestly so surprised that someone like her existed."

Beck could see the admiration on his friend's face and wondered who the lucky girl was.

"You know what dude?" he pat his best friend on the shoulder. "Whoever that girl is, I'm sure she has no idea what she's missing out on."

An almost nervous laugh escaped Andre.

"I wouldn't say that. You shouldn't either."

Beck decided to drop the topic, sensing Andre really didn't wanna talk about it. He wondered why he never even heard of this girl before, but he guessed he _has_ been caught up in his own problems recently. He pushed himself off the locker with a newfound resolve.

"Come on," he beckoned his friend to follow him.

"Where are we going?"

"Class. I think it's time I got to know Jon better."

* * *

Meanwhile, her ex's sudden exit didn't go unnoticed by Jade.

"What do you think is up with Oliver?" she liked addressing people by their last names because it gave her a certain power over them. Like _yeah, we're not close enough for you to get called by your first name. In fact, your first name disgusts me so much I can't even bear to say it_.

Jon glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Last name basis now?" he raised a curious eyebrow. The brunette shrugged.

"Depends on my mood."

Jon had always thought Jade was pretty— there's no denying that behind all her dark and murderous aura she was a gorgeous girl, especially with her humor and how not-boring she was, so why the hell was Oliver such a fucking idiot? He's heard the guy was totally head over heels for her since they were in middle school. You'd think he'd treat her better, but here they were, trying to remain awkward friends even though it was painfully obvious they were still into each other.

"You ever think of dating other people, J?" Jade gave him a confused look.

"I don't think of other people in general, much less dating them." She replied.

"Dude, Beck's been dating and—"

"Well he's Beck," Jon didn't miss how her tine was bordering on mad, "he's always complained about how jealous I get or how violent I am or how something was always wrong with me. You can't expect him to keep moping around when he always wanted to date someone else even when we were still together. He just needed an out and the moment he got it he—" the inhale she took was long and shaky. Jon tried not to hug her right then and there because he knew she would have his head if he ever did that in public.

"…Look, Jon," she sounded so done and sad, it broke his heart. "I know what you're trying to do, but here's the thing," she looked him straight in the eye and gave him a sad smile— something he never associated with her. "I never wanted anyone, but when Beck forced himself into my life, I only wanted him, and now that he's forced himself out of it," the door opened, and Beck and Andre came in. "…I've always been the one who chased after him when we broke up. He hasn't done anything about it, and it's been four months since. If he wanted me back, he would have done something about it already. Believe it or not, I'm tired of being the one chasing after him."

Again, Jon never thought of himself as a violent person, but boy did he want to go over there and punch Oliver right in the face. He didn't do that. Instead, he looked over at their group and saw that they were shamelessly looking at them.

"Normally, I wouldn't offer this, but you wanna lean on me?" He got a raised eyebrow in return.

"You're not falling for me, are you?" Okay, this time he actually laughed, much to Jade's relief.

"Don't get used to it, West. You look like you could use a friend right now, and that's what I'm here for, isn't it? I mean I don't see you talking to Harris or Shapiro about any of this." He received a slap on the arm along with her laugh before laying her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

"People are staring at us, aren't they?" she asked when she felt his arm on her shoulder.

"Yup."

"Fuck them." She muttered with a smile. He laughed at that.

"Sophisticated, West. Really sophisticated."

* * *

**Okay, that was a longer gap than I expected. I honestly don't know how this chapter fits with the rest of the story, but here were are. Anyway, none of you asked but I'm on Christmas break so I, hopefully, have more time to update this story huehuehue.**

**Also, to my ever-supportive classmate, Karen, diara oh aynag kastress HAHAHAHAHAHA**

**Anyway, see you in the next chapter :)) Mwuah!**

**Pwrites out~ mwehehhe**


	6. Chapter 6

**We're Just Friends**

_Chapter VI_

Tori found the entire situation familiar— so familiar, in fact, that it was almost normal. The only difference was that it wasn't Beck Jade was leaning against, and Beck looked like someone just threw coffee on him. Believe her, she knows what she's talking about.

"You know, maybe they're just really good friends," she rationalized, only to receive a glare from the Canadian.

Beck had no idea what he was doing but before he could even think about it, he was on his way towards his ex, who he was totally over, by the way. He realized his mistake a little too late when he was already standing in front of them.

Jade opened an eye and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Umm, you guys wanna sit with us?" was the first thing that left his mouth. Now it was Jon's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"And we'd do that because?"

"Look, man, I'm just offering. You can always say no," Beck honestly had no idea what he was doing and was silently cursing his friends for not stopping him the moment he left his seat.

Jade pulled herself away from Jon and crossed her arms. Beck tried not to think of all the times he'd hug her whenever she did that because it was the only way to calm her down whenever she was mad at someone.

"Did Vega put you up to this? Because I swear I'd rather—"

"No," he gave her a tentative smile. "Believe it or not, I actually wanna sit with you."

It took all of Jade's self-control not to smile, and all of Jon's acting skills not to smirk but before they could answer, the bell rung, signaling the end of the last class. Beck watched as the two grabbed their bags and started to get up.

"So I'm having a party this weekend," he tried so hard to cover his fuck up, but when Jade raised her eyebrow he almost lost his cool. "Yeah, well, not really a party, but more like just a get together like when we had that private Ke$ha concert at Tori's."

Now it was Jon who raised an eyebrow and Beck found it incredibly uncanny how much they actually look like each other.

"You're having a party at Tori's?" Jon asked. Damn this guy is daft. If he even thinks of inviting Jade back to where they broke up, he might not be able to stop himself from actually punching him.

"What? No. I'm having it at my place—"

"No offense Beck, but isn't the RV a little small to have a party?" This time it was Jade who asked.

"If you'd just let me fuck_ing talk_!" Jon had to hide his laugh behind a cough. What? Oliver getting all riled up was just too funny. Guess the rumors were true. Jade West could really make even the coolest and calmest person scream in frustration.

"Look, my parents are in Canada for two weeks and the gang and I thought we'd have a weekend over. Do what you want, I just gave you an invite." He went away before either of them could answer, or you know, question it. Now he just had to plan a small party in 48 hours and get everything ready. Fuck, why did he have to go all middle-school-Beck? Thankfully, the part about his parents being away was true so at least he didn't have to miraculously get them out of the house.

* * *

"You think he's acting a little weird?" Jade asked, watching Beck leave the room. Jon merely shrugged.

"I dunno. I always found the guy a little weird."

"Hey!" He received a backhand slap on the chest. "He's not that weird."

"West, the guy's from Canada." Somehow he managed to say it as if it explained everything. "Literally the nice grandma of countries and he dates the most criminally-inclined— ow!"

Believe it or not, Jade really didn't like physically hurting Jon, which is a privilege she reserved for very few people like Cat and (used to be) Beck, but he honestly had it coming.

"You wanna go?" she asked. Jon stopped rubbing his soar arm to look to her.

"_You_ wanna go?"

"Don't throw the question back at me, I asked you first."

"Dude, if you wanna go, just go," Jon answered as they walked out the door. "No one's stopping you."

"I know. Exactly why I'm telling you to come with me," the brunette said. Jon raised an eyebrow.

"And I'd go there because?"

"Dude! I need you there, alright? If someone's going to stop me from making a fool out of myself then it's gonna be you." He rarely heard Jade whine. "Besides, it's not like anyone there actually likes me."

Jon gave her a curious look.

"Cat's going to be there," he pointed out.

"Yeah but she's probably going to be hanging with Robbie." They'd reached her locker. "I rarely say this, but please? I really don'—"

"Jade, if you can't stand the people there, why bother going at all?" the question hit her too close to home, but it was still a good question. It was the first social event to ever happen since they broke up and she sort of forgot that she didn't have to be there just because Beck was going, or you know, holding it in this case.

"Yeah," she sounded like she was in a daze, "you're right. Fuck them." Jon couldn't help but smirk.

* * *

"You told her _what_?" Someone _please_ tell Andre his best friend is joking.

"Why would you say that?" Tori asked, sounding just as dumbfounded as Andre felt. Beck honestly looked like he was trying hard not to hit something.

"I don't know, okay?" Yeah, the guy sounded frustrated. "I was standing there and they were leaving and it was the first thing that came out of my mouth and—" he took a deep breath probably to either calm himself down or stop himself from _actually_ hitting something, or you know, someone.

Dear Lord, it was middle school all over again. Andre didn't even bother pointing that out; he knew if he made even the slightest implication that he was still hung-over Jade, Beck would go on another long and obviously fake monologue about how he's moved on. Unfortunately, Tori wasn't thinking the same way.

"Look, Beck, if you're looking for an excuse to be with Ja—"

"How many times do I have to say _that I am over Jade_?!"

"I dunno, I think once is enough." A new yet painfully familiar voice said out of nowhere. Andre could feel the temperature drop as Beck turned and came face to face with a blank-faced Jade.

Beck's stomach dropped the moment he heard the voice. Fuck Tori for bringing that up! He turned and was greeted by the sight of Jon's hand on Jade's shoulder as if to stop her if she ever got any ideas. It was hard not to remember all the times that job fell on him. Jade was wearing the most unreadable face he's ever seen on her, and that's saying a lot.

"Jade! Hey, I umm was just—"

"Trying to stuff it in their little heads that we're over." Somehow she managed to transfer the glare to Tori and Andre. What the fuck? "These losers bothering you about it?"

"Jade it's—"

"I wasn't asking you, Vega!" Beck didn't miss how Jon tightened his hold on her shoulder or the fact that for some miracle, it actually managed to calm her down a bit.

"Why don't we just head on our way, huh J?" Jon asked, giving the goth a quick smile. He received a glare but right after throwing the glare over to Tori and Andre, Jade sighed.

"Fine. I guess we have better things to do anyway," she muttered. This time Jon actually gave her a genuine smile.

"Great! Hey, we're gonna be off now guys. Oh, and Beck," Beck looked at him, "We'll let you know if we're gonna be there." After throwing everyone else a smile and a nod, he leads a reluctant Jade out the door, which is probably the thing that pissed Beck off the most because Jade is never reluctant nor does she let anyone lead her when doing _anything._ He watched as they exchanged whispers that eventually led to Jade giving Jon a glare before laughing.

"Did Jon just—"

"Not now." He couldn't believe someone else was doing his job right in front of his eyes.

* * *

"You looked like you were going to start crying at any moment. I had to step in," Jon whispered while leading her to the door.

"Because you had my best interest in mind, I'm not going to kill you."

"Well that, _or_ you could admit that what Oliver said actually hurt you." He got a glare for that, which he countered with a raised eyebrow. Jade must have realized how ridiculous the whole thing was because she let out a little laugh just as they went through the door.

* * *

"Okay, we'll help you." Andre threw Tori an incredulous look._ What the hell woman?_ He got an I'll-talk-to-you-about-this-later look in response. He was about to speak up against this when Beck turned and gave them the most hopeful smile he's ever seen on his face since the day he managed to get Jade to verbally respond to him back in middle school.

"You will?"

Andre saw the smug look Tori gave him and sighed before answering.

"Of course, man! What do you need and when do you need it?"

* * *

"Muchacha, I love you, but I seriously wish you'd keep your mouth shut sometimes," Andre said as he drove Tori home.

"What? You can't tell me you didn't see how broken he looked watching Jon and Jade together," the brunette reasoned out.

"Believe me, man, I saw it. It's just," he sighed, "I've seen it on him a lot before and every time he managed to get through it on his own. Look, you don't know Beck like I do, okay? I grew up with the guy. He doesn't like people meddling."

"He wouldn't have asked for our help if he didn't want it."

"He asked for our help preparing his so-called party. That's completely different from helping him get back together with Jade."

"He _is_ throwing the party to get back together with Jade!"

The songwriter gave out a long sigh.

"Look, no matter how much we might think he wants to get back together with her, and no matter how obvious it is, it's pointless."

"What do you mean? Why won't you just—"

"Tori, how sure are you that Jade actually wants to get back together with him?" For a moment, Tori was quiet.

How could Andre ask that? Of course Jade would want to get back with Beck! They're talking about Jade West! She literally came to her house in tears saying she wanted Beck back the first time they broke up. But then again, that was two years ago, but what could have changed so much that— _oh._ She looked over to Andre who was looking straight ahead, focusing on driving.

"You think she's happier with Jon, don't you?" When he didn't answer, she sank back into her seat.

"How could you think that? She's been with Beck forever sin—"

"Look, Tori," he took a deep breath, "I'm not saying I think she's happier with Jon, but you gotta admit that you can see she's at least happy with him. He doesn't force her to do things she doesn't like, he doesn't force her to deal with people she doesn't like, they're both so similar it's kind of hard not to see why they wouldn't get along. I'm not saying Beck doesn't have a chance, I'm saying he has competition and a pretty good one at that."

After that, the ride to Tori's was pretty much silent. Both had a lot of things on their minds. Tori knew Jade never really considered her a friend, well, to be honest, she doesn't know how Jade views her now, but she _is_ Beck's friend and Jade makes Beck happy no matter how in denial he is. Beck is _the_ guy at Hollywood Arts, she knew he could have any girl he wanted without even trying but that was the thing, the only girl he ever wanted was the hardest one to get, and even when he already got her, she would expect that it was hella hard to keep her too.

She always wondered why Beck wanted to be with Jade of all people, but maybe there are just some questions that can't be answered. Now that she thinks about it, Andre had a crush on Jade too, and he was really into her; was there a side of Jade that didn't scream a dozen murders and arson? Just as she was about to think that maybe it was something only guys could see, she remembered Cat, who is honestly the sweetest person she had ever come across, and how she of all people, is Jade's best friend. What the hell is up with Jade West?

Andre's thoughts were sort of going the same direction. Man, he loves Beck like a brother, but he's just not sure if he's going to like how this whole thing turns out. If Jon wasn't in the equation, sure, maybe Beck still had a fighting chance, but he is and the last thing Andre wants to deal with is his brokenhearted best friend. To be honest, he thinks it's sort of selfish of Beck to mess with Jade's life right now. He means, she didn't bat an eye when he started dating other girls, but the moment Jade looks like she's starting to move on, he comes swooping back in. Damn. But the look on Beck's face earlier was just so hopeful he had to be heartless to take that away from him. Damn feelings are complicated. This is why he stays single.

* * *

In his RV, Beck was thinking of the exact same thing. Why _is_ he so affected by this? He's obviously not in love with her anymore, since he's been out with other girls but damn! Who knew other girls were so boring? Yeah sure he's only ever wanted to date Jade ever since he knew what dating actually was, but he didn't think he' actually have this much of a hard time trying to enjoy other girls' company. He means yeah sure, he talks with them and even had a good laugh with them sometimes, and for a brief period of time, actually thought that he could get around dating someone else, but compared to Jade, they were all pretty blah.

Okay, he's being unfair. He shouldn't be comparing them to Jade of all people, no one could ever top Jade. That girl was just pure fire and impulsivity and well, terrifying. Just the right amount of terrifying to ensure that no matter how amazing she was as a girlfriend, no one else would even think of trying to talk to her. Then Fletcher came along.

Don't get him wrong, he likes the guy. He's cool, really cool. Not a lot of people could be around Jade and not pee their pants, but there he was, dragging her around and stopping her from ripping someone's eyeballs out— he means, yeah sure, that job used to belong to him but that's exactly why Fletcher— Jon, he means, had earned his respect. Even Andre hadn't managed to build a Jade-tolerance, and he's known her longer.

_Andre._ His words made their way back to him.

_So you expected to still be treated as a boyfriend._

They've been together for so long he nearly forgot what it was like to be around Jade before he became her boyfriend. Yeah, it wasn't easy. He nearly cut off a bunny's head once because he thought she hated cute things and loved bloody things, so a dead bunny would definitely get her attention…that is, before Cat told him bunnies were actually her favorite animal and pretty much the only animal she likes. Beck found himself thanking every god he could think of that he hadn't gone through with it.

Man, he really went through hell to get her to say yes to that date, didn't he?

_So where did it all go wrong?_ He asked himself. He sat up from his bed, running a hand through his hair along with a sigh he didn't know he had to let out. Without thinking, he grabbed his phone and sent a text he didn't know if he regrets sending or not.

* * *

On her way home, Jade felt her phone vibrate, indicating a text.

"_Hope to see you there :) — Beck"_

Jon glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He noticed she's been awfully quiet since they left school. It doesn't take a genius to know what was up.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked, still keeping his eyes on the road. Jade shoved her phone back into her bag with a little more force than usual and sank back in her seat.

"Even if I don't, you're going to make me," she replied rolling her eyes. Jon tried to hide the smile that threatened to take over his face.

"You're not wrong." He received a really deep sigh in response.

"Can we not do this now? I'm not in the mood." She turned so she was facing the window but she could still see Jon throwing her a concerned look in its reflection.

"Okay. Take all the time you need, J." He tried his best to ignore the quiet sob she accidentally let out.

* * *

**Not my best work, not gonna lie there. I feel like this was more of a filler chapter, rather than anything else. Anyway. what did you think? Honestly speaking, I didn't know where I was going with this chapter. I just needed to get my mind off the releasing of grades. Karen will understand, won't you Kar?**

**No, I'm not just using that name as a filler, I actually do have a friend named Karen who has been super supportive of this story, she straight up went up to me one time during class and asked me when I was going to update because she keeps refreshing it HAHAHAHAHA I'm probably gonna be mentioning her a lot during my writer's notes because it makes her feel kilig HAHAHAHA plus, it's my way of showing her she's appreciated. Mweheheehe love you Kar, di taka crush,**

**Anyway, that is it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to tell me what you think in the reviews; I honestly love hearing from you guys, it legit makes my day. Advance merry christmas, and see you on the next chapter!**

**Love,**

**PWrites mwehehehehe**


	7. Chapter 7

**We're Just Friends**

_Chapter VII_

The following day was not a good one for Jade. Aside from the fact that the coffee shop on the way to school from their house was closed for maintenance, she also had to deal with her dad's friend's son staying the night. Ugh! The thought of it was enough to make her roll her eyes.

Jacob went to some dumb business school in England and was visiting for a break or something. Now since their house is still under repairs for some reason and his parents were out of the country, her oh-so-generous dad offered him to stay the night or until his parents came home which was around two to three days from now.

If you're wondering why the thought of Jacob seemed to appall her more than the thought of Vega sleeping over at their place, it was because Jacob has been trying to get with her ever since they entered puberty. The guy's basically a Sinjin with social etiquette. Beck used to be great at keeping the guy at bay, but ever since they broke up, he's been messaging her every now and again with stupid messages like "_you wanna talk about it?" "You know I'm always here, right?"_ and_ "We should hang out sometime."_

_Ugh!_ The mere thought of having to deal with him made her nearly pull her locker door off, earning more than a few weird looks from other students. Of course, her being her, all it took was…

"What are you looking at?!" to send everyone running off to mind their own business.

"Well aren't you in a happy mood," a certain Canadian actor said, walking up to her. When he received nothing but a glare in response, he threw his hands in the air. "Okay, not the best time to be friendly."

Oh yeah, another thing that got her so riled up was that she had just realized last night that she was still in love with this dingus.

"Jacob's coming to stay over for a couple of days and I swear it's a miracle I haven't cut someone in half yet." She slammed her locker shut so hard, it made the freshman passing by running for her life while screaming "sorry Jade!"

Beck had to fight for control when he heard the name Jacob. His body wanted to do what it was used to doing: pull her to him, give her a kiss and tell her he'll make sure he doesn't go near her but, of course, he couldn't do that now. Not with her being Jon's sort-of girlfriend. Unbeknownst to him, she was hoping he was going to do exactly what he was stopping himself from.

At that exact moment, Jon walked into the hallway, holding Jade's cup of coffee because she'd been ranting to him about how the coffee shop by their house had one job and they couldn't even do it. He had to stop himself from upright grinning and bursting into song when he saw who his best friend was talking to.

After what happened yesterday, he's surprised they can still hang around each other without even the slightest trace of awkwardness. Especially from Jade since she was having a major breakdown from yesterday.

* * *

"_J? Do you want me to go or should I stay over?" he cautiously asked as he pulled up in front of their gate. The said brunette was busy trying to wipe the tears away from her eyes and readjusting her make up in the passenger seat. God-forbid any of her family members see her with emotions._

"_I dunno. I don't wanna talk about it but I also don't wanna be alone," she admitted, taking a deep breath before turning to him. "How do I look?"_

_The thing with Jade's pale complexion was that it was painfully obvious when she cried because her face would get all red and her eyes were sorta puffy, oh and her nose. Her nose was red too._

"_You might want to stay here for a while before you go in."_

"_That obvious, huh? Can't I pass it off as allergies?"_

"_Yeah, you're not going to fool anyone with that excuse."_

_The brunette sighed, leaning back in her seat._

"_Let's go over to your place, get you some clothes. You're staying over tonight," she ordered. Jon merely nodded and drove home._

* * *

Now normally, male best friend staying over at female best friend's house, said female is heartbroken, male best friend is there— this all spells every fanfiction ever, and if they were stars of their own tv series, God knows their lives have enough drama for one, people would probably be writing about him and Jade getting it on, but they're not, and they didn't. Because he practically lives there ever since they became friends, the Wests have had a guest room specifically for him right across Jade's room.

* * *

"_I'm still in love with him," the actress suddenly said, not really surprising her friend._

"_And the truth finally comes out."_

"_Yeah well too bad for me because he's over me and there's nothing I can do about it."_

_Jon frowned. It was either Jade was blind or she didn't know Beck at all. _

"_And I know you're thinking something stupid like how he might still have feelings for me and I'm telling you, I really want to believe you," wait, when did she get up? "And I wish I could believe, I wish it were true, but it's not, J!" she used their nicknames. Oh crap she's getting emotional._

"_Beck tried every day without fail to get me to go out with him back in middle school, and that was how I knew he really liked me, but look! He's not doing anything! We're over, J! We're really over! And I— and I… and I…" He moved before he could even think. He got up and pulled her in for a hug just as tears started to fall from her eyes._

* * *

But then again knowing Jade, she'd rather get trapped in a room with Trina than— okay, maybe not that. No one wants to get trapped in a room with Trina. He's only heard stories about the elder Vega, but he couldn't believe Jade actually spent years being around her and not ripped her head off.

Anyway, back to the point; from where he was staying, it looked like the two were having a civil conversation. Well that was good, wasn't it? Now it was time to mess with Oliver. You can't blame him! Despite having no romantic feelings for Jade, seeing Beck all riled up was just too fun.

"Yo, J!" he called, earning both students' attention.

Because she was looking at her best friend, Jade missed the scowl that took over her ex's face as Jon handed her her coffee.

"Remember that guy I was complaining to you about?" she asked.

"You complain about every guy you meet, you're going to have to be more specific," Jon replied, not even acknowledging Beck, which somehow managed to piss the latter off.

"She's talking about her dad's friend's kid," he inserted. "He's been after her since forever, it's honestly annoying." This earned him a strange look from the brunette.

"I didn't know you found him annoying," she said, taking a sip of her coffee. Beck merely shrugged.

"Who in their right mind would like some other guy chasing after their girlfriend?"

"But you always seemed so unbothered."

"Because you were my girlfriend and I knew he didn't have a chance," he said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It doesn't really take a genius to figure out you hate being around people, especially guys who like you. Why would I be bothered?"

Jon couldn't help but smile at Beck's confession and at Jade's dumbfounded face.

"But you're bothered now…" she whispered, not looking at him. Jon was about to leave them alone but she caught his wrist. No way was he leaving her in this situation.

Beck caught her grabbing Jon's wrist— an unspoken _don't leave me _but why would she want her current boyfriend to witness this? Unless…

"Because you're not my girlfriend anymore," he said. He noticed how Jade tightened her hold on Jon's wrist while the dancer awkwardly looked around the hall. "But you are my friend, and I just don't want you to be in a situation where you're stuck with some creepy guy who stalks you in his free time."

Jon felt Jade's grip loosen a bit after hearing that.

"I think we should get going," Jon suddenly said, surprising the two. "Don't you have class, Oliver?"

Beck looked at him before looking over to Jade.

"Yeah, I should get going." He gave her a not-so-awkward nod before heading to class.

* * *

"What the hell was that all about?" Jade asked, slamming her tray onto the table and earning a few curious looks from the people around them. The moment they saw it was Jade, they immediately turned around and acted as if nothing happened.

"That was me stopping you from crying in front of your ex in the middle of the hallways on a Friday," Jon answered, trying to keep his voice down as he sat in front of the brunette.

They were the only ones who didn't have classes at this hour and decided to spend their time in the Asphalt Café.

"I can handle myself, Jon."

"I know but you need someone to keep you in check otherwise you're just a ticking time bomb."

"That's how I like it!" they were getting loud, and being in Hollywood Arts, of course everyone around them was either eavesdropping or secretly filming it. "I don't need you to treat me like I'm some sort of orphan with a broken arm!"

"That's what people do when they care about someone, Jadelyn," Jon tried to keep his voice down, but he was aware of the people listening. "They worry, they keep them from doing something stupid, they try to protect them from everything and anything that could cause them harm!"

"I can protect myself." She drawled out every syllable in that sentence. "Unless you haven't noticed Fletcher, I'm fine on my own."

"Well bad news for you, West, 'cause you're not anymore."

Jade didn't have an reply for that so she just stared at him, not quite sure how to respond or if he really meant it. She's never had a friend that blatantly said that to her before. Sure, there was Cat, but Jade was always the one doing the reassuring in their dynamic; Beck doesn't count, because at the end of the day, of the fight, of everything, he still left her alone. Exhibit A: this break up.

Jon knew Jade didn't have an answer for that, and he didn't need one. When you've been alone for most of your life, you don't get to hear words like that often— he should know. Before he came to Hollywood Arts, he was always the one people called when they needed help, heck, even now that's how some people still treated him, but not Jade. Jade West is the kind of friend who has your back even when you least expect it. Cat had told him about the time she forced her to move in with her grandma when she found out she was staying in school when her parents were out of town; Andre had also told him being about the most helpful person ever when it came to writing slumps.

The thing is, Jade's the bad girl, she's the scary dark will-kill-you-for-fun girl. Next to no one ever sees the good in those people because they're too busy running away.

"You're such a sap." Was the only response he got. He could only laugh.

* * *

"What do you mean you don't think Jade and Jon are dating?" a severely confused Andre asked his best friend.

"Why would Jade make him stay? I know she can rude, but she's not heartless," Beck explained. "Who in their right mind would want their boyfriend to watch an emotional exchange with their ex?"

"Unless you haven't noticed Beck, Jade doesn't really qualify for 'in the right mind'," Tori said.

"Look, I know you think she's well, she's Jade, is there really a word to describe her?"

"No there isn't, go on."

"I know she cares about him, so she wouldn't make him watch that if she knew it was going to hurt him."

Tori and Andre exchanged looks.

"Beck maybe you're—"

All of a sudden Robbie came in screaming.

"Jade and Jon had a fight that didn't end in screaming!"

Although confused, the group huddled around him and watched the video posted on the slap. The pair looked like they were discussing something important when Jade pushed herself away from the table.

_"That's how I like it!"_ Beck knew that voice, she was one argument away from straight-up screaming at him. _"I don't need you to treat me like I'm some sort of orphan with a broken arm!"_

_"That's what people do when they care about someone, Jadelyn!"_ Beck could hear the restraint in Jon's voice as he tried to keep himself from snapping. _"They worry, they keep them from doing something stupid, they try to protect them from everything and anything that could cause them harm."_

_"I can protect myself,"_ she sounded like she was explaining basic math to a five-year old. _"Unless you haven't noticed Fletcher, I'm fine on my own."_

_"Well bad news for you, West, 'cause you're not anymore."_

Jade was silent for a could of seconds before she managed to mutter_ "you're such a sap."_

The video ended just as Jon started to eat his food.

"If I know one thing, someone's going to get harassed tomorrow if this doesn't get taken down," Andre muttered. Beck could only look at him.

* * *

Later that day, Jade was getting ready to go home after dropping her things off in her locker. She was normally fine with going home because it provides her an escape from all the idiots in school, but if she wasn't mistaken, Jacob was probably in their living room waiting for her.

Jon was walking to Jade's locker when someone grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him into the janitor's closer.

"Dude, what the actual fuck?" of course it was Oliver.

"I know you don't like Jade," the Canadian said, sounding much more confident than he felt.

"What are you talking about?"

"Earlier today, when she and I were talking, you were there and she didn't want you to leave. Why would she do that if you were dating?"

Jon had to fight hard not to smirk. So maybe this kid wasn't all looks.

"I never said we were dating, Oliver. You can like someone and just be their friend."

"Not you. You're not the type to settle for the friendzone."

"So instead you pegged me to be the type to force myself onto someone who clearly doesn't like me back? Someone who can't take a hint?"

Beck was silent for a few seconds after that.

"Dude," the dancer spoke again. "If you want her back, get her back."

Instead of answering, the Canadian let out a sigh and sank to the floor.

"I am so fucking messed up."

Jon didn't know what to do so he just sort of stood there and observed his best friend's ex. He honestly thought the two would make a lot more progress now that Jade realized her feelings, but Beck was still very much in denial of his own. He had to fix that. So instead of just leaving the poor guy alone in the janitor's closet, Jon decided to talk to him.

Sitting himself down on the space next to him, Jon also gave out a sigh.

"Yeah, you kinda are."

Beck didn't know why he was still here. To gloat? To rub it in his face how dumb he's been? It's almost funny how ironic the entire scene was. Here he was, the ex-boyfriend, with the possible new boyfriend, in the janitor closet, which surprisingly witnessed almost a quarter of his relationship with Jade.

"But you're right, you know," guess he was letting him in on the secret. "I'm not in love with her."

That actually got Beck to look at him.

"I never said you're in love with her, I just said you like her." The eye-roll he received was so Jade-like it was borderline creepy.

"Same thing, pretty boy." Beck almost laughed at the old name Jade used to call him.

"Why?" he couldn't help but ask. "I mean I know she's a freak of nature, possibly a serial killer in the making, could quite possibly end up in jail if she doesn't make it big in the industry, although that's next to impossible." He let out a little laugh as if the idea amused him. The thought of Jade not making it big in Hollywood was equivalent to Sinjin actually going on a date with her.

"You know, to be honest I'm actually excited for when we finally graduate," the actor confessed. "Let's be real, Jade's not getting the recognition she deserves here." He turned to Jon, who could only describe this experience as fascinating. "You've seen her, you've been with her— dude! That girl can write, direct, act, _and _sing! If you ask me she shouldn't even be with us but in some special program for prodigies or something."

_Fascinating._

"You really think she's that good?" Jon probed. Beck snorted.

"If you don't think so, then something has to be seriously wrong with you."

"So you think there's something seriously wrong with every student and teacher in this school?" The smirk in Jon's voice was practically dripping. Beck gave him a questioning look.

"What made you say that?"

This time Jon didn't even try to hide his laugh as he pushed himself off the floor.

"Oliver, you got a lot of thinking to do." He gave the Canadian a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Call me when you figured it out."

* * *

**I've been meaning to ask this for a while now, because I've been getting sidetracked by this idea: How would you guys like a Bade in Hogwarts fic? It's set in this decade, where instead of their daily lives in Hollywood Arts, it's in Hogwarts? Tell me your thoughts in the comments mwehehehe. That goes for this fic as well huehuehue**

**Anyway, thank you for continuing to read and support We're Just Friends! See you in the next chapter!**

**Love,**

**PWrites rawrr**


	8. Chapter 8

**We're Just Friends**

_Chapter VIII_

Beck wasn't sure how he felt about Jon right now, but then again, he was never really sure about the guy from the beginning. It was nice finally having someone to talk to about Jade who didn't think she was the incarnation of Satan.

He'd be lying if he says he's not relieved. For a moment there, he thought he was actually gonna lose Jade.

Wait.

He actually thought he was going to lose Jade. Fuck.

_He actually thought he was going to lose Jade._

He got out of the RV faster that Trina could jump on a new hot guy.

* * *

Jade thinks Jacob should be really grateful that her parents are in front of them right now, or else she would have kicked his balls hours ago.

"And then I got nominated for entrepreneur of the year for the fourth year in a row. I'm starting to think the whole thing is rigged." The bastard knew exactly what to say to get her parents to like him as if they didn't already wish they could trade her for him. The only thing she could do was roll her eyes.

"Or perhaps they just know the gifted ones," her dad replied sounding prouder than she's ever heard him. _And this guy isn't even his kid! _"I've always wanted to know if my kids inherited my business gene, but I guess I'll never know now."

There is was again. This was another thing Jade hated whenever Jacob was around. He always seemed to remind her father about his dream of getting Jade into business school so she could one day take over. Pssh! As if she'd ever be caught dead in one of those boring-ass meeting rooms filled with pretentious suck up who'd do anything to gain profit.

"It's not our fault it could bore people to death," Nero, Jade's 10-year-old brother, said from beside her. Yeah, she taught this kid good.

Their father gave out an exasperated sigh.

"Perhaps if you'd just give it a try, you'll find you actually enjoy it."

"Jade gave it a try and she hates it," the kid pointed out. "Why should it be any different for me?"

"Well, we all know Jade's known for making rash choices," Jacob commented, earning a glare from the brunette.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, it's just that you know, you're not one to—"

"Okay, first of all, cut it with that stupid _obviously_ fake accent of yours," the actress snapped. "Second of all, who the fuck you do you think you are—"

"Jade, language," their mother lightly reprimanded.

"—to tell me—"

_Ding dong_

"I'll get it." She shot up, grateful for any reason to get out of that room. Heck, she probably wouldn't even mind if it was Sinjin asking for a lock of her hair or something— no wait, that's too creepy. Who knows what he could do with a lock of her hair?

Ugh. The thought of it made her shudder.

"What do you w—" well fuck. "What do you want?"

Beck didn't know what to expect, he's been doing that a lot lately— not knowing. It's weird, especially since he was dealing with Jade, no matter how extra she was, there was always a part of him that always had a hint of what was coming next. But things have been changing recently, and again, he doesn't know how he feels about that.

"I figured you'd want an excuse to get out of here," he tried to sound calmer than he felt. Maybe he thought she would smile, but instead, she crossed her arms and leaning against the door frame, her infamous pierced eyebrow rising.

"It's cute how you think I need an excuse to do anything."

It's like he's trying to talk to her for the first time all over again.

"I mean, it's not like you're actually enjoying the company you're with."

"Why do you care? I can get out when I want, I don't need your help. I'm not your charity."

Frustrated, Beck ran a hand through his hair. Why was he here again? Oh yeah, because he wanted to talk to the girl he's been in love with for years and hope she might actually entertain the thought of getting back together again.

"I figured you'd say that," he sighed.

"So why bother coming?"

He gave her a tentative smile. "Because I wanted to see you."

It took all of Jade's acting skills and self-control to keep a straight face. No way was Beck Oliver just going to show up on her front door in the middle of the night, say a couple of sweet lines, throw in the classic Beck Oliver smile, and expect her to just act like everything's fine.

"Well, now you saw me." She pushed herself off the door frame before slamming the door right in his face and going back inside.

"Who was that?" her brother asked when she came back to the dining room.

"No one important."

* * *

Jon wasn't exactly an open-to read person— he isn't even sure if _Jade _knew his exact address— so imagine his surprise when he opened his front door and found none other than Beck Oliver standing on his porch.

"Should I even ask how you found out where I live?" they were currently in his room because he and Jade shared that thing that they don't like having guests stay in their living room, mainly because that meant _they'd_ have to stay in the living room with them.

"I have some pretty creepy friends," Beck answered from his spot in Jon's swivel chair by his desk.

"Are you talking about that weird stalker guy?" Jon raised an eyebrow. "You're actually friends with that guy?"

"Being friends with people won't kill you," again, he was struck by how much it was like talking to Jade.

"Tell that to every guy in history who got to killed by their friend. I can't name any now, but I'm sure that's happened."

Beck rolled his eyes. If he's being honest, he doesn't even know why he's here. All he knew was that Jade shutting the door on him hurt more than it should have, and he realized he expected her to at least talk to him or hang out with him on their porch, or you know, anything really except for shooing him away. The reality hit too hard, that maybe that's how she felt that night when he didn't open the door.

All he knew was he needed to talk about it, preferably with someone who knew Jade as well as he did. The next thing he knew, he was calling Sinjin to do some probing into Jon and get his address for him.

* * *

"_You gonna beat him up?"_

"_what? No! What the hell made you think that?"_

"_Well I know I'd want to beat up anyone who took Jade away from me."_

"_You never had her in the first place. What the hell, dude?"_

"_She could be if everyone else just left her alone."_

"_Look man, can you just do me the favor?"_

"_Alright. I'll send it to you."_

* * *

Seriously, that guy needs to go to therapy or something.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Jon asked, pulling him out of his reverie. "No offense, but we aren't exactly close enough to do random sleepovers."

Beck gave out a sigh.

"I went to Jade's."

Jon sat up from his bed when he heard that, not even bothering to hide his excitement.

"Finally growing a pair, huh?" he smirked, ignoring the eye roll he got from the Canadian. Likewise, Beck decided to ignore the teasing in his tone.

"Yeah, whatever, I wanted to talk to her but when I got there, all she did was ask me what I wanted and I didn't really know what I want so I just told her I wanted to see her."

"Let me guess, she told you you already saw her and slammed the door right in your face?"

Beck found it hard to believe he knew Jade to the point where he knew exactly what she did in certain situations.

"How'd you know?"

"She texted me a couple of minutes before you showed up." He waved his phone in the air like a flag and Beck wondered how much Jade actually tells him.

"You told her I'm here?"

"Depends. Do you want me to?" Jon actually gave him a smile as if already knowing the answer.

At that moment, Beck decided he likes Jon, and maybe that's why Jade took a liking to him.

"What's it like being like Jade?" the Canadian actor asked, genuinely curious. Jon sat up from his bed.

"I don't think you realize impossible it is to be _like _her. There's no one in the entire universe like Jade West. You of all people should know that."

"Well, you're the closest anyone's ever seen. You look like fraternal twins."

"Oliver, why'd you really come here?" Jon asked, genuinely wanting to know.

Beck was silent for a moment before sighing.

"I miss her, okay?" There. He said it. "I was so tired of all our constant fighting that I thought there was honestly no reason to stay anymore. Why would I, you know? If you were in my position you would have broken up with her too."

Jon could only nod, not wanting to interrupt him. It's clear he hadn't let this out to anyone yet.

"And I have to admit, it's been good. It's been _peaceful_. When we started talking again, I thought it was best if we just stayed that way. You know, friends. But then, who am I kidding? I've been in love with her for over five years, there's no way I'd ever be okay with just being her friend."

Beck sighed, fully realizing all things just as he said them out loud.

"I guess being tired doesn't necessarily mean stopping, because heaven knows I've never stopped loving her, even when I wanted to."

"So what's stopping you from actually doing something about it and getting her back?" Jon finally asked the question that's been boggling him for months.

"What if it's just going to be the same thing all over again? What if the fighting just picks up where it left off? Like I said, I don't wanna be her boyfriend if we just fight all the time, and I don't wanna hurt her all over again."

Jon's eyebrows shot up at his answer and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Did he really think he's the saint in their relationship?

"Why do you think you keep fighting?"

"Because she's insanely jealous! Even the slightest thing can set her off, and— you've been around her. You should know how she gets." Beck said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You wanna know why Jade and I don't fight 24/7, Beck?"

"Because you're practically the same person." Jon snorted at the actor's answer.

"You think if there were two Jades they wouldn't scratch each other's eyes out?" he said it as if the mere thought of it was ludicrous. "We don't fight because neither of us gives the other a reason to be mad."

Beck frowned in confusion. Pssh, like there was such a thing as not making Jade mad.

"Look," Jon said, shifting in his bed. "Everyone knows she's got a shorter fuse than most people, but it's not like she doesn't have a reason to be mad or get jealous."

Beck let out a sigh of frustration. Of course he was going to side with her.

"Before you roll your eyes at me," Jon cut him off before he could even say anything. "You _did_ kiss a girl she didn't like on her first day." He saw how Beck flinched at that. "You don't tell girls who hit on you that you've got a girlfriend, and have you noticed how you never seem to side with her whenever she's up against someone?"

"Because she's Jade!" Beck tried to explain. "You honestly think someone could go up against her and win?"

"So you thought the best thing to do was to make her feel like she was always in the wrong?" Jon was starting to see why they always fought, and it was getting irritating.

"Because she is! She poured coffee on Tori on her first day!" Beck couldn't believe Jon actually thinks Jade's a saint.

"She's Jade!" Jon snapped as if it explained everything. "You knew she was harsher than anybody you'd ever meet even when you were still crushing on her, so why would you think that would change? You and I both know she could have done something way worse to her."

"So you're saying I should just stand by and watch as she terrorizes the entire Hollywood Arts student body?"

"I'm saying you should watch yourself first. Believe me, man, I know Jade. All I'm saying is no matter how insane she is, there's always a reason behind it, and if you don't see that then maybe you should go home because I'm not about to help you get back together with her if you still don't know what you're doing wrong."

The two had a stare off for a few seconds before Beck got up and left without saying another word. Jon watched him leave, silently wondering if this guy really deserved his best friend.

* * *

The following morning was not a good one for Beck. For one thing, he had completely forgotten about the party he was going to have and probably wouldn't have gone through with it had it not been for Tori and Andre showing up at his place at 7 in the morning. For another thing, Jade was suddenly treating him like they never interacted before.

"You excited?" Tori asked as they did a once-over over the place. Beck could only sigh and run a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, sure whatever."

Ever observant, Tori immediately noticed her friend's bad mood.

"What's the matter?" she asked as Beck sat on the sofa.

"Nothing."

"Beck," she walked up to him. "You know you're not fooling anyone, right?"

It was nearly 6 pm and Andre was out buying food and drinks ad Robbie had gone ahead and posted about Beck's party on TheSlap, so hopefully, there was going to be a good turnout. Although they were almost certain that the entire female population of Hollywood Arts would be there. This _is _Beck's party, after all.

Tori couldn't blame them though. Not only was Beck extremely good looking, he was talented too, not to mention was one of the most caring and responsible people she's ever come across. She'd be lying if she said she didn't have even the tiniest crush on him when she first started Hollywood Arts. In fact, when he kissed her during their improv exercise, she actually thought that was his way of breaking up with Jade but we all knew how that ended. If she's being honest, she never really got why he stayed with her, or why he even liked her in the first place. She was surprised when she found out they've actually been going on for years, but always thought they'd break up sooner or later. But the longer they stayed together, the more natural it seemed, and she later discovered that it was actually a good thing Jade had such a calm boyfriend because that seemed to save countless students from getting mauled.

She never understood Jade, and she probably never will, but all she knew was that by some miracle, she made Beck feel more like well, _Beck._

"I don't wanna talk about it right now, okay?" it was one of the rare times, if not the only time, he actually snapped at her. She decided to leave him alone.

* * *

It was 10 pm and under different circumstances, Beck would probably be enjoying this; Andre was one hell of a dj, and enough people showed up to actually call this thing a party, now if he could only find her, you know, if she even came.

"Tori!" he grabbed the brunette by the elbow. "Did you happen to see Jade?"

"No, I haven't but I think I found Cat by the kitchen. Maybe she's seen her or knows where she is," the brunette answered, having to yell to be heard over the music.

Beck gave her a quick thanks before dodging and ducking his way to his kitchen. It was fairly easy to spot Cat with her bright red hair bobbing up and down as she danced to the beat of Andre's song. Why in the kitchen though? Well, she was Cat.

"Cat," Beck called, earning the redhead's attention. "Hi, Beck!"

"Hey, have you seen Jade anywhere? No, scratch that, did she even come?"

Cat looked at him with a surprisingly serious expression, like she was trying to figure out what he was up to.

"I don't know, she's been talking to Jon more than me recently," she frowned, but smiled right after. "But that's okay. He just understands her more than most people do."

Beck nodded before looking around the place all while Cat watched with interest.

"If you want her back, Beck, you're going to have to try harder," the redhead suddenly said, earning Beck's full attention.

"I know, Cat."

"You really hurt her."

"I _know."_

"She's probably not coming." This time, Beck turned to her.

"You think so too, huh?" When she didn't answer, Beck sighed and walked out, trusting her forgiving nature to understand. Just as he reached the living room, his phone vibrated. He immediately opened it, hoping it was from Jade.

It was.

"_From: Jade_

_Not going. I hate people, you know that. Have fun."_

He didn't even try and hide his disappointment, giving out a frustrated groan short of a scream. He trusted the music to be loud enough to cover it.

* * *

"Well, shall we file this party under good, bad, or complete-waste-of-time?" Rex asked the moment they finished cleaning up.

"Robbie, make that puppet shut up or I'm throwing it in a fire."

* * *

**So Karen pointed out how this story suited Taylor's Story of Us, and I hadn't even noticed that until now HAHAHAHAHA Anyway, I hope you liked the new chapter! Don't forget to leave a review mwehehehehe.**

**See you on the next chapter! Rawrr.**

**~Pwrites**


	9. Chapter 9

**We're Just Friends**

_Chapter_ _IX_

Beck ignored her when she walked in, which to his relief and frustration, she made easy by not acknowledging him either. Most of his morning was spent trying to ignore her presence, especially when with Jon. Beck could feel the dancer's gaze on his whenever Jade wasn't looking.

To be honest he's still pissed at the guy. Who cares if he's not really sure why he's pissed, he was pissed! Maybe he was secretly hoping he'd help him out, but that obviously didn't happen. Instead, he got thrown out, and now the love of his life hasn't even so much as nodded at him since she arrived. Okay, to be fair, maybe he hasn't exactly done anything to get her to talk to him either, but still! But then again, this was Jade. She'd rather jump off a cliff than-

"Dude!" he was forced out of his internal moping by none other than Jade West herself standing in front of him looking like she was waiting for something.

"Oh, hey Jade." He tried his best to act normal under her scrutinizing stare. Whatever it was she was thinking, she must have dropped it because she shrugged and adjusted her bag strap on her shoulder.

"You're party's the talk of the school," she commented. "Sort of wish I made it."

_"Yeah, me too." He gave her a tentative smile, which she replied with a genuine one. Trust him, he knows when she's faking it._

_ "Anyway, sorry about how I acted the other day. I guess I was just- Beck? Beck?_ Beck!"

Jade looked like she was ready to hit him when he finally came back from his imagination.

"Sorry, what?" he was already mentally hitting himself.

"Jon was right, you _are_ getting weirder," she muttered before walking to her next class. Beck hit his head against his locker the moment she was out of sight.

* * *

XxxxX

* * *

Before they broke up, Jade had been pretty pissed that they only had acting together, but now she was almost _thankful_ for it. It was as if the universe knew they were going to spend months technically avoiding each other - not that she believed in that shit. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jon enter the room and sit down next to her which had practically become his permanent spot.

"You're in a good mood." He found himself on the receiving end of her glare. "Let me guess. Oliver?"

When he didn't get a response, he knew he was right. But then again, when _hasn't_ Oliver been the thorn in her side? Jade simply rolled her eyes.

"He's acting weird," she finally said. "I was standing in front of him for 10 seconds before he even noticed me- even when we were talking he spaced out. I swear I was on the verge of clobbering him."

"Well, you _did_ leave him hanging with the whole party thing."

Jade rolled her eyes. "As if it mattered."

Sometimes Jon wonders if she just acts oblivious because he flat out refuses to believe she can't see how obvious Oliver is being.

"You know why he's acting weird."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do, or at least you have a hunch, and it 's bothering you because you're wondering if you're right or not."

Jade both hates and loves how much Jon actually knows her. He knows her in a way Beck never did or probably ever will, but that doesn't change the fact that he's nothing more than a friend. There's this almost telepathic connection she has with him, and she has to admit it's nice to have such an intimate connection with a friend and just be a friend.

When she didn't answer, Jon knew he was right. But then again, when hasn't he been right when it came to her?

"You know you can just ask him," he suggested.

"And what? Look like a desperate loser? No thanks."

"It's not desperate, J."

"Well, what am I supposed to say? _Hey Beck, all the signals you're sending are really confusing and I don't know how to read them so can you just be real with me and tell me how you feel_?" she mocked in a voice 2 octaves higher.

_"Yes!_ That's _exactly_ what you should say!" Jon practically screamed. Of course, the only response he got was an eye-roll, but then again, was he really expecting anything else? "You've gotta be tired of walking on eggshells whenever you're around him. I know everyone else is."

"You don't;t understand! That's how we've always been! I always say something wrong or he says something offensive. We're always going to fight, J! That's the reason we broke up and that's the reason we're going to break up again if we ever get back together."

Jon saw how he slumped back into her chair, looking exhausted. Mentally _and_ emotionally. He really wished he could spell it all out for her and get this over with, but he knew they were never going to learn their lesson that way.

_ Sorry J, this is the only way._

"You broke up because you were dysfunctional," he pointed out.

Jade snorted. "And that's supposed to magically change?" She gave him a _you-think-I-haven't-figured-that-out_ look.

"No. Which is why you have to _work_ on changing it." His tone was that one would use when explaining to a 3-year-old why she was punished. He gave her a measured look. _"Together."_

"Why are you so set on getting Beck and I back together?" She asked in genuine curiosity.

"He makes you happy." He said it like it was obvious as if you had to be blind not to see it. Had he been anyone else, maybe he couldn't, but he does. "And even though you're one kick-ass awesome girl who can undoubtedly stand on your own, I've seen how you are when you're with him. Believe it or not, the guy's cooler with you."

Jade raised her infamous pierced eyebrow but didn't say anything. She thinks Jon doesn't like Beck all that much, hence the constant insulting, but she likes how he tried to keep it to himself for her sake.

"So you're saying I'm an accessory?"

This time it was Jon's turn to snort. "If anything, _he's_ the accessory. A fur coat, if you will."

"Why a fur coat?"

"He could single-handedly make one if he shaved off that hair of his."

* * *

XxxxX

* * *

She was on her way to the library where Jon was waiting for her. Speaking of Jon, maybe he should listen to him for once? After all, if he thinks-

"Why can't we kiss?" Just as she was passing the janitor's closet.

It wasn't the thought of what people were doing alone in the janitor's closet that made her frown, but the voice. She knew that voice. In a room filled with annoying chattering people, that voice was always the one she could single out.

_ Beck Oliver. _

Who was he with? Then the question sank in. Had someone rejected Beck? The next realization made her stomach feel like someone just dropped an anvil on it. Beck tried to kiss someone. In the privacy of the janitor's closet.

As much as she wanted to leave, her feet refused to move. Maybe she could if she commanded her body hard enough, but a stupid part of her was dangerously curious. So she stayed, and as quietly as she could, leaned against the door frame, hoping to hear more."

"Because of Jade." Her breath stopped. Of _course,_ it was her.

Tori fucking Vega.

"What about Jade? We broke up months ago."

"Yeah but she's your ex-girlfriend _and_ my friend. Well, sort of. I just don't want to betray her like this."

"You and Jade aren't friends. I'm pretty sure she made that clear several times."

"Are you sure you really want this?"

Jade waited. This may not be how she wanted to find out, but she was finding out anyway.

_ Come on Beck, answer her._

There was a 3-second pause.

"Yeah. I do."

And now she got her answer. She pushed herself off the door frame and continued to the library, ignoring the way her stomach felt like she was on a rollercoaster that only went down.

* * *

XxxxX

* * *

"Are you sure you really want this?" Tori asked, wondering if Beck had officially lost it.

"Yeah. I do."

The brunette stared at her friend for a couple of seconds, completely in shock. She's not going to lie, there was a point in time when she would have jumped at this opportunity. But things were different now. She might not understand why Jade had such a tight grip on his heart, but she didn't need to understand. All she knew is that she does, and there was no way she was going to waste any of her own and Beck's time trying to make a relationship neither of them even really wanted.

"Well I, for one, know you don't," she crossed her arms. "Come _on_ man, you literally just threw a party to get your ex-girlfriend's attention. You're not fooling anyone."

"Nothing's working, Tori!" He practically shouted, making the brunette jump a bit. She wasn't used to him showing such emotions unless he was with Jade. Well, this is _about_ Jade, so maybe it shouldn't be such a surprise.

"I'm tired of chasing after something that keeps running further away the moment I get close! It's just-" he ran a hand through his hair, sighing in frustration before he looked at her. "When did it get so hard?"

He looked so done and defeated, Tori wanted to cry.

"I don't know, dating Jade always seemed hard to me," she answered. "I'm pretty sure she has some deeply rooted psychological problem, not to mention a certified psychopath." Beck raised an eyebrow at her, wondering where she was going. She, of all people, should know that badmouthing Jade never helped anything.

"But you always seemed to handle it well." She gave him a smile. "Dude, you could calm her down when she was practically on a killing spree. You made her stonecold heart a little softer. You got through to her once, I'm pretty sure you can do it again."

Beck let out a humorless laugh before leaning his head on the wall behind him. "I honestly don't know why I keep going after her. She's bound to get me killed one day, and there's a 60% chance it's gonna be by her own hand."

"So you're giving up and letting her go?" Tori asked, genuinely curious. Part of her didn't want him to answer. If he said yes, she didn't want to be the first and only person to witness the official end of Beck and Jade.

Beck gave her an amused smirk. "Who said that?"

* * *

XxxxX

* * *

"Took you long enou-" he stopped when she practically slammed herself onto the chair next to him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jade replied a little too quickly and a little too harshly. _Always a bad sign. _

Jon didn't miss the little crack in her voice either. He knew her well enough to know she was on the verge of breaking down, but he also knew if that ever happened in public, she'd never be able to show her face ever again. He could risk just leaving school in plain sight, but there was always someone wanting to talk to her lately and might ask where they were going. Girls' bathroom is out of the question for more than one reason. Fuck it, they go to a performing arts school, don't they?

"J, I know what I'm going to say is weird but we should get out of here before that dam of yours breaks."

Jade never thought she'd be so thankful for a person in her life.

* * *

XxxxX

* * *

"Hey, have you seen Jade around?" Beck asked a certain redhaired goofball who just got out of her class. Cat tilted her head before playing with her fingers.

"I think she's in the library with- oh! There they are!" She frowned. "I think something's wrong."

Beck turned, and true enough, he saw Jon assisting a limping Jade down the hall.

* * *

"I told you to stop moving so much," Jon complained. "You know I can just carry you, right?"

"And make you feel like some sort of knight in shining armor? Tch no thanks." Leave it to Jade to be as grateful as a rock for any help.

_"Please,"_ he couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I'm more of a Haku in this situation." Jade gave him a confused look.

_"Who?"_

"Haku. You know, he comes in, they thought he was a good guy, but he was just trying to get Zabuza away from them before they could kill him." He said it as if he were reminding her of an old lesson that she'd forgotten, but all he got was the same confused look, if not an even more confused one.

"Who's Zabuza?"

"You don't know Zabuza? The villain in the Village of the Mist arc?" Still no recognition. He tried again. "Naruto?"

He saw something flash across her eyes before she burst out laughing. "I can't believe you expect me to know that! God, you are such a dork." Jon looked upfronted.

"It's a classic and you know it." He glared. 'My point is, I'm more of the evil sidekick who helps the villain getaway."

"What happened? You alright?" Beck asked, walking up to the pair. Jon could feel Jade tense up.

"She slipped and twisted her ankle." He didn't wait for a reaction before practically dragging her away from him.

"Dude, the clinic's the other way," Beck called. Jon simply looked over his shoulder.

"I know. I'm taking her home."

* * *

XxxxX

* * *

"You mind telling me what's wrong now?" he asked as he drove to their place. Part of him wondered if he should just apply as her designated driver with all the times he's had to drive her home on short notice.

He heard her sigh, which is almost always followed by a confession or a rant, and waited. He knew she has a hard time finding words, especially when it's about her own emotions. It sometimes struck him how such an amazing actress could struggle with something so vital in her career, but then again, maybe that was why she was so good. Who knows how long she was actually acting around her so-called friends?

"Beck tried to kiss Tori," she finally said. He didn't miss how indifferent she sounded, but underneath it, if you knew her enough to notice the slightest change, he could hear other things: anger, hurt, betrayal, resignation. It was for that reason, and that reason only, that Jon pushed his anger for Beckett Oliver aside. He knew the guy was stupid, but he didn't think he was _this_ stupid - but that's not important right now. Jade needs someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, someone to hold something down while she stabs it and cuts it up with scissors made of Satan's horns bathed in the blood of her enemies.

"I'm guessing he wasn't successful?" He asked and from his peripheral vision, he saw her shake her head.

"No, which is honestly a surprise," she rolls her eyes. "I always thought she'd jump at the chance to be with Beck. She was all over him when she got into Hollywood Arts." She paused again, probably looking for a way to tell him what else happened.

"He asked her why they couldn't kiss and she said it was because of _me._ I'm apparently her friend and she won't kiss her friend's ex." She let out a short humorless laugh before continuing. "Which is incredibly ironic because she had no problem kissing Beck when we were together _or_ kissing Cat's ex while he was dating her."

Jon frowned but refrained from asking any more questions. Instead, he waited for her to continue. She let out another sigh before visibly deflating.

"He reminded her that I made it clear we weren't friends, so he totally wants to get with her." He didn't know why she felt the need to explain his actions. "Vega eventually asked him if he really wanted to pursue her."

As much as he tried to keep his eyes on the road, Jon couldn't help but throw her a concerned glance. He got the message when she didn't continue.

"And he said yes?" The way her hands turned into fists on her lap was all the confirmation he needed.

The silence that enveloped them wasn't uncomfortable. Both knew there was no point talking about it unless they really _needed_ to. Maybe later when Jade's gathered her thoughts. Maybe later when Jon doesn't feel like taking a page out of Jade's book and cutting Oliver open with whatever sharp thing he can get his hands on.

"What do you plan on doing now?"

"What do you mean?"

_"Jade."_ He looked at her. She gave him a tired one in return.

"J, we're just friends."

* * *

**Hey guys! I'm back and I'm sorry for the long-overdue update. I honestly have no excuse.**

**What have you guys been up to since quarantine started? I hope you're doing okay, and I wanna thank all of you who followed this story and favorite-d. It really means a to me and the comments are all so heartwarming. With that being said, please don't hesitate to leave a review and tell me what you guys think.**

**Anyway, thanks for all your love and support, don't worry, this is not the end yet. I hope you all stay safe! Mwuah!**


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